July 15

Half past July already. I keep thinking that someone has sped up the clock and how I would love to strangle that someone. Full on summer now. I just finished up in the gardens. I could have done more but the temperature on the patio is already pushing 90F and I don't handle heat all that well. I did prune the tomato a bit and the catnip, staked the woad and indigo, dead headed the yarrow, rose, and bee balm and repotted the Genovese basil before watering everything. That was enough. I didn't realize that woad and indigo are vines but that is why I grow plants I haven't grown before--to find out what they look like and how they grow. I also harvested six ripe cherry tomatoes and two shishito peppers for our salad today. My experience with the tomatoes over the last few years isn't an aberration. The cashier at the dairy we frequent was stunned at how well her plants have grown after several disappointing years.

We had errands for the last two days so the gardens got somewhat neglected. Though a couple of pots looked a bit thirsty everything came through nicely. A couple of years ago when we got rid of some deteriorating large containers (originally large plastic storage boxes) I replaced them with five gallon buckets. Instead of drilling large holes in the bottom I punched several small holes (with an old ice pick) around the sides about six inches from the Botton. That provides a reservoir of water without leaving a sodden mess to rot the roots. So the system worked to keep everything alive even with the heat.

As usual on our errand days we look around to see how things are going and people reacting to the virus. At the medical center where Mom's doctor now has his offices everyone was wearing masks, of course. And most were maintaining a distance. Her doctor has only been at that center since January but, so far, things seem to go more smoothly than they did at the other medical center. The doctor and his staff had much more room and were able to move his patients through more quickly. Mom had her blood work done there and that went more smoothly and quickly also and all her data was in the computer including the order for the blood work. That medical center seems to have a better grasp of computer technology.

We generally wear our masks when we go into the stores and take them out after coming out unless there is a crowd. There almost never is because we choose times when fewer people are also shopping. Most people were masked and maintaining distance. The supermarket had a few empty shelves--mainly in the area of household cleaning supplies. No wipes and a limit of 2 per customer on the dish soap. But the baking aisle was almost fully stocked so those supply chains seems to have been repaired. 

I have said for some time that certain things should not be left to "markets:" medical care, education, police/prisons, e.t.c. This article clearly articulates why such "financialization" is a very bad idea.

I have seen several short stories that indicated that the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and TB vaccines might prove effective against Covid-19 when given to adults. Naked Capitalism had this longer piece. Intriguing possibility. As noted in the story, children do seem to have a resistance to Covid. I wonder if those who came down with that paralysis had not been vaccinated.

Found this at Zero Hedge. I had heard a while ago that there was a coin shortage but hadn't noticed any problem here. Some of our purchases we do make with cash but for the larger grocery trips we use a credit card.