Essential

The Devil went down to Georgia...  oh, wait... it was the Idiot Jerk not the Devil.  Hhhm.  Same thing, for all intents and purposes.  It was just a short visit.  No rambling, stream of conscious stump speech.  I didn't see any pictures of him wearing a mask.  I do not doubt for an instant that in his mind wearing a mask makes him look weak.  He wants to be Macho Don.  He has 6 bankruptcies under his belt.  No one said he was smart.

It's Thursday.  Isn't this week just flying by?  In four more days I have another weekend.  I can't wait.  After that I'll be going into two 32 hour weeks, followed by a week of vacation.  I need to use it.  My anniversary date is 9/4 and I'll get another 3 weeks.  Yippee!

Of course, the virus is heading north again - thanks to stupid conservatives down south.  The ones who still believe it's a hoax.  And it's not just those southern crackers who think this.  I was talking to one of my friends last evening who works with an individual who makes that claim daily and then asks "Don't you agree?"  "Don't you think it's a hoax, too."  Stupid people.  And we are still in the first wave.

Walmart's enforcing a mask rule beginning Monday.  I brought it up in the lunchroom yesterday and there was a whiner there who said, "but what about my constitutional rights?"  I said nothing.  I know you might find that unusual.  I am not in management anymore.  Besides, he is in a shrinking minority group.  Those who adapt survive, those who don't?  They may be out of jobs.  There are a lot of people out there who have no problem adapting in order to get an Essential job.

Someone who didn't have an Essential job was Brad Pascale.  He heard the Idiot Jerk sing those magic words... "you're fired."  One thing I wouldn't want on my resume?  Being the Idiot Jerk's campaign manager, especially since that loser in the White House is slipping so far back in the polls.  That's not the kind of bullet point that looks good on your LinkdIn profile.

And finally, I have these purply things growing in my back garden.  

There are white ones, too.  Last year there were four, this year I have at least 12, and they're beginning to crash into my tomato cages.  They're pretty, but have no scent.

 

How Evolution Works

Can you believe it's Friday alre.... wait, you mean it's Saturday?  Son of bitch!  Just where does the work week go when you're having so much fun working in an Essential Job?
Yesterday, in the rain, I got to be one of the counter at the exit.  For a while, I was at the Garden Center, but then they moved me.  The vast majority of customers were wearing masks, many of whom took them off after leaving the store.  I have no problem with people walking through the parking lot without their masks.  The virus isn't free floating, meaning you can't walk into a cloud of infection that was sneezed out by someone 5 minutes ago.
When you think about it wearing masks is a perfect example of Darwin's Theory, the survival of the fittest. This is how Evolution works.  Those who are most able to adapt to new situations have gene pools that will survive.  Those who don't wear a mask?  They are genetically flawed.  Their inability to wear a mask is their most obvious example we've seen so far of risky behavior.  Statistics have show that over time, those who take risks (and their progeny) die off.  Those who adapt?  We survive.
I see the Idiot Jerk in the White House has taken another hit to his approval rating in regard to Covid - 19.  He's now down to 39%.  You can bet your shiny buttons this is why he had declared religious gatherings Essential.  He's worried he's going to start losing those Cracker Jack Christians who voted him into the White House.  He must have missed the briefing where the point was made that Covid - 19 turns religious gatherings in to Hot Spots... or maybe he just doesn't care.  Maybe he wants to make them happy now while hoping they'll still be alive to vote for him in November.
Finally, here's one of my yellows.  This is from the bush next to the Weigela.

It's a nice light perfumey pastel.

Dribble

Normally today would be our 'Kid's Workshop.'  Things have changed.  All workshops and clinics are on hold until further notice.  Customers are allowed to use 1 entrance and 1 exit, and right now only 100 are allowed in the store at one time (that's still quite a lot).  And you can be parents will show up with their kids in tow because they want that free little, orange apron.  Even though children are walking germ factories, for these parents getting them out of the house is Essential.  I'm not working.  Believe me, there will be mild chaos.
In fact, I'm planning on staying home today.  Baking more bread is on the agenda, as well as cleaning up the yard.  I want to run the little battery powered lawn mower I have around the front yard, and maybe take a picture of my bulbs.  I planted a boatload.
I find it rather sadly amusing that the Idiot Jerk, who only had the economy to stand on, is trying to pivot to the Health Crisis facing the country.  This guy has a history of cutting his losses.  Don't believe me?  Look at his bankruptcies.  He's been told there are going to be so many casualties.  He has put that number into his dirty mental balance sheet and talked about it at his little podium, and then unapologetically written off all of those human beings.  Now he's trying to show his compassionate, presidential face to the public... and it lasts for about 10 minutes before the dribble starts draining from his mouth crack.  This tinfoil dictator he so desperately wants to be lauded with praise, he wants mayors and governors to fall prostrate before him... and it ain't happening.  Nope.  And his vile nature is cracking through to the surface of his artificially colored skin for all to see.
Anyway, the CDC is recommending everybody where a face mask when out in public.  Look what I have!

A Von Schierholtz porcelain candlestick made in 1895!  I'll sell it for the right offer (face mask not included).
I received an text from my cover artist yesterday.  She's begun painting the cover for "The Body in the Well."  I have to come up with something for the back cover...  I will have to ponder on that.

Prostituting a National Crisis

Monday, the beginning of the non-work week for many unless you're home working, or happen to work in essential 'life sustaining' positions.  Certain retailers are considered 'life sustaining' because of the products and services they provide.  They are open for those people out there who are experiencing emergencies.  Say your refrigerator dies and you need a new one, or your water heater explodes, these retailers are open for those people.  Believe me when I tell you, yesterday the definition of 'life sustaining' was seriously challenged.  People were browsing the 'life sustaining' floor samples and buying the 'life sustaining' paint.  They showed up at our garden center eager to purchase 'life sustaining' mulch.  One woman complained about our mulch pricing of 3 for $10 when the bags of mulch rang up at $3.33 each.  There were a lot of MAGA hats walking though our front doors, but to be perfectly honest, there were just a lot of dumb fucking people.
I understand things are going to be different today.  Certain decisions have been made to curtail the casual shopper who shows up simply because we are open.  I suspect certain non essential 'life sustaining' departments will be closed.  Customers will most likely not be allowed in to test the patio furniture.
Evidently there's a lot of complaining about our Idiot Jerk's daily updates regarding the plague he so easily dismissed a few weeks back.  I was talking to a friend last night who said she turns them off when he starts talking about himself.  I asked "does he?" and she replied "hell, yeah."  I checked this morning and complaints are coming from so many on how he's turning these updates into mini-campaign rallies.  You have to remember, he is a reality TV Host who will use any and every opportunity to sell his orange ass.  His supplicants will bow down in adoration.  Sane Americans, on the other hand, are turning off his lies.  How like a Conservative to prostitute a National Crisis in his bid to get re-elected.
Finally, I took a pic of one of my daffodils.  Is this sucker bright or what?

The Nasty Question

It's the weekend!  Of course, with so many now working from home and so many non-essential businesses closed, we're heading into just 2 more days.  There's no going to the bars, they're closed, nor is having a nice dinner out a possibility, or taking in a movie, or a nice concert.  I feel sorry for the bar crowd.  For a lot of gay men, that is their social network.  Now it's shut down... and for how long?  Nobody knows. 
Just like the bars, we also have non-essential customers who shop our store one, maybe two times a week, not to really buy anything, but just to walk around.  They nod to us as though we're old acquaintances.  We don't strike up long conversations with them, that's not why they are there.  We provide a safe environment for them.  Most of these non-essential customers are seniors, the ones who are most at risk.  And it's not just home improvement stores where they go to hang out.  My Mom used to go to K-Mart.  She knew a lot of the sales associates.  They became her friends.  Covid - 19 is shuttering down those friendships.
Of course, there were also a lot of assholes in the store yesterday, as well.   Contractors who were defying the Governor's orders, and that group which it turns out is putting so many people at risk: the millennials.  I can tell you, a lot of them are pretty damn clueless as they browse the aisles, looking at paint chips, and carpet samples.  For them, now is a good time to change their shower head, or check out the drills, or saunter through our patio sets.  I spent some time in the Paint Department.  It was extremely busy.  I suspect today is going to be much of the same.
And how about the Idiot Jerk's news briefing yesterday afternoon.  This man is brainless.  Reality does not match a single word coming out of his mouth.  "There's this drug," he exclaims, "we can use for treatment."  He doesn't tell people that if administered incorrectly it can kill you, or if it will actually be of any benefit because it hasn't really been tried yet.  And he becomes really incensed when you question him.  His insanity requires you believe he is the voice of authority.  For him truth is nasty.  Questions which try to ind out the truth are nasty.  The truth is that this video is nasty... I did watch it though and it didn't make me vomit.

And Pence, the putz, repeated that the effects for Covid - 19 will be minor for most Americans, and that we need to "stay vigilant."  Surprise, one of his staffers has just tested positive... and Pence is in that virus' target age group.  Oh, shit.