It was with even more trepidation that we donned our “personal protective equipment” and risked another Kroger restock.

Now that TN is opening up to less essential businesses, more droves of stupid people are out shopping without precautions, making it riskier for the rest of us.  At least I noticed most employees and about half the customers were wearing masks.  But the checkout conversation was about being glad non-necessary businesses were able to reopen.  This even as COVID cases and death tolls in TN and most states rise and spike for that very reason.  It seems people here would rather be dead and take others with them, than be informed or inconvenienced.

We were able to find more essentials like disposable gloves, Lysol, and TP, but certain items like rubbing alcohol and liquid hand soap were totally wiped out.  We did manage to find some chicken and other meats, but mostly it’s scarce and pricey.  The upside is we eat more fish, beans, and other healthier proteins.

COVID-19 is an equal opportunity killer.  It is no respecter of persons, politics, or religion.  Collectively we could get this thing under control.  Darwin would be rolling in his grave to know humans are still so anti-science and self-destructive in the year 2020, but he probably wouldn’t be too surprised.  It’s natural selection, which sadly often involves collateral damage.  Maybe nature is just ridding itself of an overpopulation of stupid people.

Speaking of nature, back to it!  Here are my latest finds.  I found this beautiful golden poppy blooming out in the field.

As promised, I delivered–one California native wildflower rock garden, in one afternoon.

It started with a previously dug foundation and rock ledge by E.  After clearing it of weeds, I lay out large cardboard sheets, and arranged large rocks in semi-circles to anchor it and create a raised bed.  Then I poured in gravel, rocks, sand, perlite, pine bark mulch, compost/manure, and topsoil.  This should provide some good drainage.  Finally, I planted wildflower seeds from R&B in CA.  The top tier has poppies, the bottom tier a mix of blue and gold wildflowers.  Above the ledge I planted some hens-and-chicks (a succulent) just for fun.  Now we wait to see if anything happens.

While I was at it, I re-mulched the front maple tree, and took some pictures of some favorite perennials.

We had a fun zoom video visit with The Bobs yesterday, in which we gave each other virtual tours of our houses and their garden, and generally caught up.  Our cats even got in on the act.  They actually look a lot alike (the cats, that is), considering they’re not blood cousins!  It was almost (not quite) like being there.  We all agreed we’ll probably be doing a lot more of this in the “new abnormal”.

Speaking of which, they brought up an interesting point.  None of us can afford to take chances getting injured (or re-injured) from normal activities such as biking, because we have to avoid emergency rooms and hospitals at all cost during the pandemic.  Medical facilities are too dangerous and overloaded right now.

On the other hand, it turns out working from home and not traveling, as in their case, is not such a hardship after all.  In the new abnormal, there will probably be a lot more of that for those whose work allows for it.  And we’re all getting good at inventing unique recipes from whatever we can scrounge up from the pantry, and sharing them.

Since I didn’t really give them my garden tour, I decided to post some overall views of our house and immediate surrounding garden.  Most of what you see is a work in progress of repairing the house and improving the landscape.  The last photo is the little “R&B” dogwood they gave us, which bloomed for the first time this year.  Thanks, Bobs.

Speaking of California, my next garden project is creating a CA natives rock garden, planted with seeds they gave me.  More on that soon.  Wish me luck.

Here is the finished English b&b pudding from yesterday.  It was excellent.

Misu continues to luxuriate on her sill, all worn out from managing humans.

It’s in the 80s today, and watering veggies has begun.  I brought the rest of my herb and flower seedlings out, to be planted soon.  The grow lights are now off.

Here are today’s flower shots, including the newly opened columbine.

We’re about to have our first zoom video visit with The Bobs soon!  Another sign of the times.

It’s a sunny, breezy 80° day.  A hawk just swooped past my window.  Rabbits are multiplying out in a field of wildflowers.  So are veggies in my garden.  I planted more of the eggplant and pepper transplants, and set out more herb seedlings to harden off–two kinds of basil, two kinds of parsley, and dill.

New flowers are blooming each day, including snapdragons and columbines.

E is learning to cook another English classic–bread-and-butter pudding, similar to spotted dick, but I can’t say that here!

She finished repairing the newly installed sink/vanity, and now we have all kinds of bathroom storage space.

Yes, we have some time on our hands, here in lockdown.  Meanwhile, Misu is perfecting the art of slouching and flopping in every conceivable pose.  Here are just a few.

These days we carefully plan our few trips out to the store to last us a while, but sometimes you have to run out for an emergency plumbing part so your new sink doesn’t leak, which is what E did.

Tennessee just opened up for business, so Lowes was packed with stupid, clueless people.  It was like running a gauntlet through a war zone just to get one part and get out.  The lines were extremely long, people weren’t distancing, and employees weren’t wearing protection.  Her checkout person said god would protect them.  Seriously.  It’s like they live on a reality show zombie island, with a barbaric pig in charge.  Who could I mean?

Anyway, aside from the horror (the horror), it’s a beautiful May 1, and we’re staying busy and productive with our respective plumbing, gardening, and cooking shows.  There’s no lack of things to get done.  And no shortage of spectacular flowers and plants.  Misu the Mascot is the only one lounging I mean supervising, when she isn’t maniacally galloping back and forth, finding new and creative ways to get attention.

I can now add skunk to our list of critter visitors!  It was dusk and rainy, and it was probably checking out the food I had put out, while wandering across the yard.  This was no ordinary skunk–it was a Jewish skunk!  It was pure black except for a perfect white “kippa” (“yarmulke”) on its head!  No visible white stripes.  I’ve never seen a skunk like that.  It looked young, so maybe not quite developed yet.  It was hard to get good photos from the window, but these are my best shots.  You can just make out the white cap.

Skunks are very beneficial to the environment.  They’re nocturnal, omnivorous, and eat lots of harmful bugs and rodents.  They won’t bother you unless you approach them and don’t back off.  I’m excited when any native species makes an appearance, because it tells me I’m doing the right things to attract wildlife, which helps restore habitats to their intended balance and order.

Well, we did it–we braved Lowes, even as TN is obliviously opening up to business while the case toll climbs.  There were essential supplies we needed, and we had a game plan to get in and out expeditiously.  The parking lot was packed, and I’d say maybe 1/3-1/2 of customers were wearing masks and distancing.  Employees were not wearing masks.  Lowe’s was all out of masks, gloves, and Lysol, so somebody is using them.  To inject themselves?

Our checkout guy was looking forward to businesses opening up so crowds would thin out?  He looked exhausted.  Funnily, two different (maskless) customers approached me closely in the garden section, thinking I was an employee–I don’t think it was my mask and gloves that gave that impression.  Was it my horticultural swagger?  One said I should work there!  I don’t think so.

Anyway, we take our lives in our hands, literally, each time we go out, because Tennesseans are clueless trumpers.  The more the state opens up, the more at risk we all are.  I guess they’ll have to learn the hard way, and take some of us with them.  While we wait yet another 14 days to see if we got infected, at least necessary projects are getting done.  E is installing a new bathroom sink/vanity.  And yet more flowers are cheering us on.

I’ve read about it, seen it in the news, but OMG when it’s right in your face, it’s mind-boggling.  No, not the virus.  I’m talking about cognitive dissonance, or the ability to hold two completely opposite and opposing opinions or attitudes in your mind at the same time, and see absolutely no contradiction, because it would mess with your whole world view if you allowed reality in.

Our neighbor who lives behind us (on a different street, but adjoining our property) and I were talking over the fence yesterday.  We were having a friendly conversation about gardening and other neighborly mutual interests.  She was all, social distancing, masks and gloves, too soon to go back to business as usual, Drs. Fauci and Birx are great, and so on, so far so good.  She’s a nurse, so has some idea of the dangers of minimizing this pandemic–you would think.  I thought, oh good, another reasonable person.

Then in the next breath, she exclaims what a wonderful president trump has been!  I had to keep my jaw from hitting the ground.  I thought I was hearing things.  HOW…?  No, she was not joking or being sarcastic!  She backed it up with nonsensical, false statements.  It was like she lives in a different universe.  No concept of the extreme contradiction of that belief and the facts.  There it was, firsthand–this is how trump came to power and will continue to be dangerous to all of us.  Mindless, hypnotized people in denial, living in a vacuum, believing what they want to believe.

After politely differing and mentioning a few key counter points, trying to appeal to her nurse side, I saw it would be useless to pursue this line of conversation; she was a trumper.  We agreed to disagree, in a friendly manner, and went about our business.  Maybe I planted a tiny seed of doubt, but I doubt it.  It disturbed me for the rest of the day.  This is the mentality we’re surrounded with.

This is Tennessee, after all.  The same TN that’s opening up for business as usual as I write, despite the sharp rise in cases.  When all these right-to-death-ers get sick and spread the virus, will they realize what nurses and doctors have been up against for months, or how their behavior affects all of us?  Or how their wonderful president has obstructed controlling this pandemic from the very beginning, and obfuscated the issues, for his own selfish purposes?  No, in their narrow delusional reality show world, he’s a hero, because he says so.

Sorry, sometimes the absurdity gets to be too much to not vent.  The mind is blown.  We will now return to your regularly scheduled garden-and-cooking show.

Here is one of E’s infamous savory pies, in this case sort of a breakfast pizza version.  And a few flowers that caught my eye.  Yesterday I planted some of my eggplant and pepper plants, and some yellow squash seeds.  Today we mowed, just in time for more rain.

Early this morning in the rain I spied my beans, zucchini, and corn just barely poking out of the soil.  Just a few hours later, they’ve doubled in size and quantity.  My “salad bar” bed and flower seedlings are also progressing.  This cool rain is just what the plant doctor ordered.

Happily, I think my passiflora (native passion flower) is finally coming up, which I’m excited about.  In fact, many seeds I was losing hope in seem to be germinating after all.  Once again, nature demonstrates persistence and resilience, if we just be patient.  Much like waiting out a deadly pandemic and not jumping to hasty conclusions.

Here is yesterday evening in a sunshower; I was hoping for a rainbow shot, but I missed it.

And your daily dose of flowers, including a good one of the native columbine, which not only survived, but multiplied.