We are starting to get the rules on this first phase of loosening the lockdown. It actually sounds worse in some ways than lockdown itself. Many people have to go out, but with distancing and masks, it’s going to be quite unpleasant. Julien was telling me about what his kids will have to deal with at school. One thing and another, it sounds worse than just staying home. Add to that the suggestion made in some quarters that the virus is mutating into a more dangerous form and, well, no thanks.
We’re going to stay home. Rather than deal with lines, masks, the various unpleasant restrictions, we’re ordering online. The SO’s office is making arrangements to allow as many people as possible to work from home as much as possible. He may not go back until September. There may be pit stops for haircuts — the Bowl Cut is not a good look — but that’s it.
Meantime, the weather is gorgeous. We have had this great combination of sunlight and warmth by day and rain by night. No one told the peonies they had to stay in or wear masks, so they’re just going for it, as are the strawberries. My no-bolt arugula bolted; maybe it didn’t read the package. We are learning to cook with nettles; Julien trained them into a hedge, so we always have a huge ready supply. Somebody — maybe the hedgehogs I encouraged to return — has been randomly digging up my squash, maybe looking for bugs. Weird, but some remain. The fruit trees are fruiting. The birds are eating all my wildflower seed, but apart from that the meadow is doing fine. The owls are dropping digested mouse carcasses on my terrace, so I guess they’re doing fine as well.
I am grateful to my delivery people, who have been doing a terrific job; grateful to Julien, who is keeping the weeds from taking over; grateful to everyone who facilitates my current decision to boycott the universe. Such beautiful weather, and so many masks to make for a friend who distributes them to the Paris camps. I did say I was staying in…
Danica has a Go Fund Me page. It’s old, but still accepting donations. I’m sure all of us who are not worrying about making our own payments are donating wherever we can. But, if you’re not already tapped out, give some thought to supporting her efforts. She volunteers: every penny goes to the refugees.
At Home in France 
Jeffrey has been home schooling Max and Alex. He says everything is going smoothly except they correct his French. Every morning they march up the hill next to their house where there is a statue of General Pershing, pledge allegiance to the flag, do some laps and march home again.
LikeLike
What a hoot. So he has taught them the difference between respecting the institution and respecting, ahem, the individual. Good parenting! And if he wants to send those kids to correct my French I could take — and could definitely use — maybe a week of that. I have a language test coming up vey soon. To be honest, I do miss my friends. Apart from that, and with all gratitude to my relatively fortunate financial situation, I’m liking lockdown. It works in ways that might be worth a blog post or might infuriate so many people that I won’t bother to mention it. Um, oops, just did…
LikeLike
I posted earlier but it seems the post disappeared. Whatever. I said those were great photos and update but you were suspiciously quiet about…(cough)…tomatoes. Here we are in the midst of a heat wave with over 100 degrees. We never had a Spring; we just moved from a bland winter to mid-July. I’m having mixed results on crops. The Kabu (turnips) are ready for harvesting but I may have lost the Daikon (radish) crop to lizards – the desert iguana guys who can sneak through the chicken wire cages and eat the seedlings to the ground. Japanese cucumbers are going crazy once they get too big for a lizard nosh. After all the effort on the cages to keep out rats, birds and squirrels, now I get lizards.Nature wins again. But my…(cough)…tomatoes are doing very well and at peak flowering but may not pollinate unless we get a dip in temperatures.Oh also, your backyard lawn looks great, especially the one swath you mowed before the lawn mower broke. Did I mention tomatoes?
(If my original post shows up, all the above is largely a repeat.)
LikeLike
You did. I didn’t. I think I should do a whole tomato post. It’s complicated but I think I may have a tomato or two. Yes, a tomato post is the way to go. My lizards are my friends. Whoever it is out there that’s uprooting my squash is not. Come to think of it, maybe something is eating the plants; I don’t even see any little squashy carcasses. I should do a meadow post, too. It’s been interesting and surprising.
LikeLike
Danilo cut down a patch of cherry tomatoes when fetching greens for the rabbots. He is not flavour of the month…
You’re having a great time with that garden…best to stay home and enjoy it. When does Jacques return to help you dig?
LikeLike
Oh no, tomatoes again. I’m sensing a theme here. Okay, tomato post soon. As for Jacques, I wish he were as interested in slugs as he is mice. We figured out that they have been eating the squash plants. So, organic — so they say — slug pellets all around.
You’ll usually find Jacques in that meadow, sniffing out the mice. He keys in on freshly turned earth, then investigates further. Or, in regular garden areas, he looks for movement in the bushes or at the back of the planter. I actually did scatter wildflower seeds in patches he cleared while hunting. I think the birds ate them all; not one came up.
LikeLike
Try beer traps for slugs.
LikeLike