Some maintenance guys from our management company have been doing exterior work on our flat, repairing the front steps, putting in a new garden gate and trimming the front garden. This is the garden now -- much less bushy than it was previously.
The biggest change is the tall cypresses, which they lopped off about halfway up the trunk. Apparently this is an accepted method of trimming them, although it seems brutal. It will make Mrs. Kravitz happy -- she's been complaining about their height. (Maybe it will make up for the fact that we're not putting in a new side fence, which she also wants.)
See those sticks with the little white flags on them? Those are markers I put in to alert the gardeners to plants we want to save. I was afraid they were going to weed everything and inadvertently pull up the valerian and other good stuff. As it turns out, they didn't weed at all -- at least, not yet. I think they're coming back today to do a little more work on our side alley.
And as it turns out, we'll be home, because we've had a last-minute change of plans to our workday. One of our students' parents has tested positive for Covid-19. As a result, school is closed today for a "deep clean," even though the parent hadn't recently been on campus. (Obviously his kids have been.)
I'm going to use the opportunity to plant our foxgloves and do some other stuff in the garden.
Just for fun, Dave and I rented and watched "Contagion" last night -- Steven Soderbergh's 2011 movie about a mutant virus that causes a disastrous pandemic. We saw it in the theater when it came out, and I remember liking it. Thankfully, our real-world virus is nowhere near as deadly as the one in the film, which wipes out huge numbers of people in grisly fashion!
"Contagion"? "Just for fun" Steve? What a warped sense of humour you guys have!*
ReplyDelete*Only kidding!
The garden is looking very nice. Contagion? You actually watched Contagion right now? Twisted.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Mr. P. and MWM.
ReplyDeleteYou watched "Contagion" on purpose?
You are brave, sir.
The garden looks much better.
The garden looks lovely. I don't think I could watch Contagion right now, I can hardly handle watching the news.
ReplyDeleteFor many years the experts have saying that a world pandemic is coming. So here it is. It's going to get worse before it fades away. Some experts think they have made a vaccine to prevent it. We'll see. The experts also think it will come back year after year. So schools closing and cleaning are going to happen. Enjoy your time off.
ReplyDeleteYour choice of movies is definitely not for me. Your garden is looking quite nice. Schools and other things are beginning to close back home. I imagine it won't be long before things here in Florida start closing down too. You have a wonderful day, hugs, Edna B.
ReplyDeleteYour front "yard" is looking very nice now. They did a good job.
ReplyDeleteI never saw Contagion but I thought about watching it. I ended up watching Notting Hill instead. I needed something predictable and cheery. I'm trying very diligently to act like nothing has changed. I will make a stop at the grocery store today. I've been hearing horror stories about empty shelves. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe the difference between those two shots of the house. They really did lop off quite a bit of height. It looks nice.
The cypress trees look surprisingly good, from this angle at least.
ReplyDeleteAnd Red has summed up my thoughts about the virus.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about rereading The Stand - it's one of my favorite pandemic books.
ReplyDeleteI remember that Movie, and others like it about Pandemics. Really even the ridiculous Zombie Apocalypse Movies are loosely based on contagions out of control. It made sense that something like a Virus could put Humanity in it's place and make us realize that even the tiniest Organisms can be powerful and humble us. Enjoying a lovely garden and Nature is like a good Therapy during trying times. Stay Well.
ReplyDelete