Buckthorn Vigilante

Just two outings permitted to me--and the best is seeing our baby granddaughter. I prepare with a mask, gloves, frequent handwashing and I avoid touching her hands or face. Her parents are working so she has a certain amount of exposure but she's not going to get Coronavirus from me.

I'm also expanding my Citizen Pruner activities to solo trips. Mud Lake Park is just a few blocks from here and it's suffering from buckthorn invasion and aggressive grapevine pulling down the tops of the viable trees. Plus, trash and deadwood to pull out. The Boy Scouts built a path several years ago but it's getting overgrown, and the park layout is rustic and heavily wooded. Since I can't go to the gym, this serves as my exercise and an opportunity for some planning. If I rip out the buckthorn roots and all, we're done. But disturbing that much soil makes a playground for buckthorn seeds and other invasives. So I'm cutting low to the ground and repeating frequently as new sprouts emerge.

I seldom meet anyone at the park, which is the ideal for me. But last week while I was talking with a friend on my phone using my earbuds, I was on the ground savagely slashing with my Japanese saw/knife and I saw someone from the corner of my eye. He was wary--not worried as much about Corona virus as some crazy lady with a knife muttering and crawling on the ground. He flattened against the fence and kept much more than 6 feet away from me.

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Empty Mall of America

Here's a lifetime experience: an empty Mall of America. No cars in the ramps; echoing, empty space overlooking a few American Red Cross volunteers who manage the blood donors in the mall's north lobby. When we scheduled our donations, we were instructed to wear masks or we would be issued masks. Volunteers guided me through the process: show us your RapidPass reservation. Clean your hands. Now show us your donor card. Oops, you touched your phone, time to sanitize hands again. The staff were vigilant; they sanitized anything that touched me--the blood pressure cuff, the table that I leaned on, the chair I sat on. And honestly? I valued the opportunity to get out of the house on a legitimate, sanctioned trip and would happily go donate weekly if that was an option.

Zoom Gatherings

Most of us in strict isolation have reached our tolerance for solitude by now and we're actively reaching out to friends and family. Today my siblings had a Zoom gathering with 13 people in three states. Everyone was eager to join in and find out what's happening with our clan of about 40 cousins, including children and grandchildren. My younger siblings say their workday is nothing but Zoom meetings--with clients, students, coworkers. A gathering like this wouldn't happen in our normal life. We get together when siblings are in the Twin Cities and we keep in touch, but the constraints of speaking one at a time became obvious very quickly. Like most big families, we talk in strands of conversation that weave around and overlap with lots of laughter and side comments. Zoom gathering with small groups of friends are now on our schedule. Given our quiet lives, we have to save up enough news for a weekly meeting. CoronaVirus Rhapsody

Birthday Celebration

So it was my brother-in-law's birthday last Friday. We decided to celebrate by getting together - but being mindful of 6 feet separation. So we went to the St. Kate's parking lot and parked our cars 6 feet apart and opened windows and passenger went to backseat behind driver. And then we chatted - had a cupcake - and it worked quite well. The only thing is that it's not conducive to wine or other alcohol beverage. And you need to bring your own food. Anyway - just an alternative to the virtual chat.

Social Distancing

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