On his way to Kansas City, tropical storm Cristobal spread his energy outward bringing us a couple inches of rain, flattening many of the garden vegetables. Who ever heard of a tropical storm in Kansas!  This morning we're mid fifties at 7 am with sunshine and pleasant temps for the next couple of days before it rains again.  I told Cliff I'd much rather see this rainy cycle we're in than the dry parched cycle we had the first couple of years we moved to Murphy.  That hot dry cycle stressed the forests and the animals.  The tropical energy causes achy joints and a little inflammation for a few days until it moves on.  So I have to take it easy and not build a stone wall or carry bags of wet mulch.  I say that because I did carry a bag of wet mulch on my shoulder down to the garden a few weeks ago before we bought my new wagon.

I found the wheel barrow pulled me down the slope when it was loaded and was difficult to push back up the slope.  Cliff says I have puny old lady arms now.  They're not that puny.  Sides are removable on this wagon and I don't have to lift bags of mulch or mushroom compost as high as in the wheel barrow. Last week I dug and pulled all forty garlic bulbs before the rains arrived.

What a lovely sight!  No rot or vole bites.  They're now bunched in groups of about eight or nine and hanging to dry in the crawl space.  I have some in the kitchen for sauteeing beet greens, spinach, and kale. 

Cliff added a third level of support for the over-achiever tomato plant. It has a dozen blooms but really needs sunny days. 
Last Sunday we ventured out to a restaurant. It's the first time we drove to Hawg Wild in Hiawassee, GA since the world shut down in March.   We felt safe sitting outside on the patio overlooking Lake Chatuge.  It was refreshing to see so many people outside enjoying the sun and playing on the lake.

 

Chatuge is a huge lake with a panoramic view of mountains. There were dozens of jet skis, boats pulling passengers in tubes, and pontoon boats lazily enjoying the freedom.  

This message was in my doctor's waiting area.  He advises his patients to turn off the TV, shut down their iPhones and iPads for awhile, refrain from talking covid-19 constantly and get outside.  The news media thrives on fear.  Have fun and breathe.