In the meantime, I've been scheduling some downtime. While our stay-at-home orders have started to loosen, most of my friends are not socializing except in socially-distant ways. That means picnics or sitting around a firebowl, and keeps two meters apart. So I have started to see friends, and I'm grateful for the social interaction. (Throughout all of this I have continued to have six or seven hours of video meetings every day, so I don't feel like I'm missing work interactions at all.)
I also figured out a way to take a vacation that didn't break social distancing recommendations - I went camping. I recalled a campground in the far west of Maryand, near to the West Virginia border, that didn't require me to interact with people. Since the campsites are spaced so far apart that you can't see other people, and there are no bath houses, toilet facilities, or water, it was easy to stay completely isolated. I had a relaxing four-day weekend in which I traded worries about COVID and police brutality for worries about bears and rattlesnakes. I hiked, read several books, and breathed in campfire smoke. It was so lovely that I may repeat it again this fall.
Word to the wise - hiking in a forest filled with streams is lovely but if you pitch your tent next to a burbling brook, as I did, you will need to pee approximately a million times a day.
The vegetable garden in my back yard is now taking off. In the picture below, you can see the prolific green beans on the far left, which are producing so much that they feature daily in my menus and I still have extra to freeze for next winter. On the far, back right you can see the garlic turning brown that means it's nearly ready to harvest. I traditionally dig it all upon Fourth of July weekend, so we're right on schedule. I have also harvested lots of raspberries, but am still eagerly waiting for the first figs and tomatoes.
3 comments:
Whoa, that garden is incredible. Whereas as I will put into a blog post once again Wife and I have proven that if we had been a pioneer family dependant on our farming ability, all we would have done is become fertilizer.
We were thinking of going somewhere for a driving trip but the worsening situation around us caused us to stay put which was disappointing.
the only thing I am reliably harvesting from my 'garden' are bugs. But the camping sounds delightful. I just wish I could take a small hotel with me.
Good to hear that your camping weekend was a success - I'm not too keen on going places that have no provision for bathroom facilities.
Glad you didn't come across any bears or rattlesnakes.
Your garden looks very productive.
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