March 16, 2020
Holly Deyo
15 states now have drive-thru COVID-19 testing centers with more to come and V.P. Pence pledged high-speed testing from 2,000 labs this week. Because 80-81% of cases are so mild, many people may have it and not know. We're going to see case numbers rocket up with additional testing, but be encouraged, as those folks are building immunity for the next go-round of COVID-19 whether it comes this fall or next year. It's unfortunate and irresponsible that a lot of people aren't practicing social distancing and continue to pack into clubs and large-number gatherings. Even it they're young and not likely to get coronavirus, they can still be carriers. This is only going to spread COVID-19. Right now we're where Italy was 2 weeks ago – before their numbers exploded. So we're at the tipping point of whether COVID-19 here gains a stranglehold or we nip it now.
President Trump and V.P. Pence are doing a remarkable job considering the magnitude and historic nature of this virus. News media are hot to jump all over them and place blame, but COVID-19 is unchartered waters. Complicating matters, China lied ad infinitum about how serious and deadly is the disease and continually denied our scientists access to their data and refused our help.
There's a delicate balance between keeping everyone safe as possible and stopping life entirely. Stan and I are keeping our lives fairly normal. Still hiking the dogs and plan to spend more time outside and do less socializing. Sunshine not only infuses the body with natural immune boosting Vitamin D after just 20 minutes exposure, it also lifts the spirits.
Probably the biggest change is going to the grocery store a lot less. Because coronavirus can hang in the air for several hours, people may spread germs to fresh fruits and veggies, and we're not sure they can be adequately washed. Look how thoroughly you need to wash hands. Doctors state that thorough washing reduces chances of getting sick by 50%! That's huge.
Washing foods can be tricky especially for ones without skins and have lots of crevices like lettuce, cauliflower, celery, asparagus, artichokes, broccoli, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries. As a result, this year we expanded our veggie beds and may plant some extra in containers.
Below is our garden June of last year. As with all good gardening practices, crops are rotated so what grew in one bed last year isn't planted in the same dirt. This helps keep insects away naturally.
Also, at the top left where the Jerusalem artichoke bed is, Stan and I spent half a day uprooting ALL of them. Last year we were too covered up with work and let the bed go. Linda Babb, who gave them to us and wrote Garden Secrets, shared that their tubers take over if not harvested regularly. You can't believe how many a 4x8' bed produces! They're great in salad, in Chinese dishes and help fight diabetes. Plus, there's something in them that our dog, Jayzbo, absolutely craves. He doesn't dig the tubers, but loves the leaves. Go figure. In this bed, now just 1/4 has the artichokes and the rest is planted with Yukon Gold potatoes.
