June 12

It is early yet but light enough to get out and water things. Also pulled a lot of weeds. Everything is doing very well and it looks like my program of watering every other day is working out. The only thing that needs to be watered every day is the chamomile. I poked a stake into it at several places in the pot and that has allowed water to penetrate better. I have been looking up whether I can split the root ball and evidently I can do that either in the fall if it is mild or in the spring. I have had to look up the information of perennials because I have never had any of those survive until this last spring.

Yesterday a blogger I often read announced that her blog has been "defunded." It is a convoluted problem. The company that places the ads on her site has informed her that their "ad partners" have gone with a rating group and based on those ratings have demanded their ads be removed. Neither the blogger nor the people placing the ads (with whom the blogger had been dealing with for several years with no problem) can appeal the decision or challenge the rating. I have seen more of this over the last about five years and I don't like any of it. Basically, some people have decided that they know better that the individuals reading the information what is good for them to read. Screw that. I read what I damned well what I want. There are various fantasies out there I can hardly believe people actually believe. I am astounded that some people equate not wearing a mask during a pandemic is asserting their "freedom." However, I am absolutely against any silencing of such opinion (fantasies, conspiracies). By the way I also can distinguish when people are really being silenced and when they are not--note to Josh Hawley here: your first publisher passing on your book isn't being silenced when you are writing opens for the bloody New York Times and appearing on news talk shows. We need to get out of this pernicious habit.

The changes--visible changes--last week were startling. Mainly in the traffic. We normally go out early to avoid crowds and traffic. We did that before the pandemic (which, incidentally, isn't really over yet). We saw more traffic than we had in the last 15 months. More people in the stores but not enough to make me put on my mask. The store employees are still masking but not the customers. Today we went to a celebration for my grand-nephew who has graduated high school. The traffic on all the highways was heavier than any time since a year ago last March. Many were probably headed for Chicago which fully re-opened yesterday. My brother is planning a trip with our new graduate and has been trying to reserve camping spots. He says many are booked for a good while in the future. People are getting out again.