Here is Misu demonstrating what to do during a global crisis–find the highest box in the closet and hunker down!

Here are flowers demonstrating how to behave during same–just be gorgeous.

That’s just a loaded way of saying, life has to go on, even as the pandemic (now officially) takes over the globe, and world markets are plunging to scary new lows.  All you can do is take commonsense hygiene precautions– and stop hogging all the TP!  Also ignore trump/pence as best you can.  They have nothing coherent or competent to add to the situation.  (And of course kiss your ass goodby, etc., etc.)

In that vein, yesterday I continued to work hard outside, improving and creating gardens.  I planted a lot of cool-weather veggies in the veg garden, then realized that bed is over half-filled already, and as is typical in gardening, had a frantic change of plans.  I expanded another smaller bed out front to double its size, then created a new bed out back for a kitchen salad garden.  I also mulched the expanded herb garden.  Pretty soon the whole yard will be dug up!  Victory Gardens!

Meanwhile, flowers continue to bloom, as if all is right with the world.

Happy erev Purim, commemorating an ancient historical event similar to Chanukah, featuring the usual threat of genocide triumphed over by a motley band of heroic Jewish warriors.  This one took place in ancient Persia, and the main hero was a young Jewish woman, Esther, who bravely went undercover and exposed the plot’s perpetrator, Haman, for the egotistical anti-Semite he was.  He ended up being hanged on the very gallows intended for her cousin Mordecai, who had put her up to the risky mission.

Thus we get to have this festive holiday of masquerading as the main characters, eating hamantaschen (triangular filled pastries), and drowning out the name of Tr— I mean Haman–(I keep confusing the two!) with a loud noisemaker called a grogger.  It seems very timely and familiar somehow.  Hey, it could happen…but you didn’t hear it from me!

Here are the very excellent hamantaschen that E made on her own for the first time.  And some festive groggers.  And Misu basking in the warmth of it all.  And more progress on mulching E’s tree garden.  And some blue flowers all over the lawn.  Not necessarily in that order.

Today I planted snow peas in the veg garden, the first direct sowing of the year.  I’ve covered them with weed barrier to protect them from the varmints until they germinate.  I think (don’t quote me) the worst of winter is past as of this week; the forecast is for 60s and days of rain.  From here on out it will be constant gardening tasks for me.  It beats listening to constant dire warnings about coronavirus all day long.  If I drop dead, at least I’ll do it gardening!

Isn’t it ironic that both trump and coronavirus show up in Tennessee at the same time?

I doubt he’s here to assist and reassure people after the deadly Nashville tornado of days ago.  As with everything, he’s so clueless and ineffectual in dealing with this pandemic, he’s just flailing around looking for ways to distract and misdirect the public away from his failures and corruption.  And where better to find sympathizers than in one of the most backward states in the nation, where the civil war is still alive and well.

This moron-in-chief wants to take us all the way back to medieval times, his idea of keeping us “great” I guess.  Because we know how “great” it was in the good old days of the plague, crusades, inquisition, racism, ignorance, feudalism, perversions, and other fun institutions that he emulates.  He is a deadly virus.

Appropriately, I’ve duly dosed the house with burning sage, to the point I practically smoked us out!  Out, Out, evil trump-virus!  It’s about all I can do, other than the prescribed commonsense precautions, and kissing our collective ass goodbye.

Please, please, just hold your nose and vote for anyone running against trump.  Don’t be a pompous ass–just VOTE.  The world will thank you by not being destroyed by stupidity.  OK, rant over for now.

Here is a dramatic sky from this morning.  It hasn’t fallen yet, so there is that.  Happy erev.

At Lowes, where we practically live, they were trying to hire me over in the garden section, but I politely declined.  I have too much gardening to do at home, now that I have time to do it!  I think employees may be scarce because of  corona virus fears.

I’m about halfway done mulching E’s tree garden.  Here’s a before and after.  Once it’s fully amended, I’ll start planting perennial flowers and woodland plants in it.

Poor Misu knows I’m outside without her, which is sad, but necessary.  We try to make up for it with extra affection and treats.  Meanwhile, E has been systematically rebuilding the bathroom, so Misu always has company.

Flowering “weeds” are invading the so-called lawn, but that’s fine with me.  It’s like flowery icing on a cake, and attracts pollinators.

This is my favorite time of year, with trees and plants just on the verge.  Here’s a dogwood silhouette.

Well, Super Tuesday is behind us (TN being one of the ST primary states) and it seems we, along with many other states, jumped on the Biden bandwagon.  It’s mostly down to Biden vs. Sanders now.  Whoever wins the eventual candidacy must be able to defeat the trump-virus.  Our world literally depends on it.  It’s a trepidatious time.

My anxiety therapy, as always, is gardening, working at making our surroundings more natural and wildlife-sustainable.  Just yesterday, E spotted what had to be a gray fox, the first we’ve noticed here, right outside the back door.  Hawks keep making themselves at home in nearby trees, despite being harassed and pestered by our resident ravens.  It seems like a minor thing, but every new species we attract here is a small victory.

To that end, I’m working on turning various areas into appropriate habitats.  I’m laying down down cardboard around E’s trees, onto which I will pour amendments and mulch, in order to turn it into a raised shade perennial garden.  I’ll eventually do similar installations around the yard, with grass paths through them.

Meanwhile, spring bulb flowers continue to run riot everywhere.  I’m hoping some of my native wildflowers manage to come up this year.  I anticipate a flower pandemic one of these days.  You have to have something to hope for, however insignificant.

Yesterday I cultivated and amended the veg garden with compost/manure, being careful to work around the few veggies from overwinter.  Now it’s raining again for the next day or two, possibly inches, so that will turn it all into a compost soup.  This year I’m determined to grow some food!