Yesterday afternoon and again this morning, I felt like I was getting a cold. I had that feeling in my nose and maybe a swollen gland. So, of course, I assumed I have Covid. I even had an upset stomach for awhile, so I was pretty sure I was checking off some of the symptoms. I started trying to remember if I had missed using the hand sanitizer after a stop at the grocery store. I knew that my list of where I had been would be very short if I was tested positive, KwikTrip and that's it.
👀
But, this afternoon I feel fine.
I ran to the Farmer's Market in Rice Lake this morning. There were more folks there than last time, but most wearing masks. I picked up a loaf of jalapeno bread from the Amish bakery, yum! And some salad tomatoes & some small russet potatoes. I have had the bread before and it is a tasty treat.
I noticed that this hosta in the backyard had a particularly lovely flower on it. I'm not sure of the variety of the hosta, but it has a very pretty large leaf and now this flower.
🌻🌻🌻
A couple of years ago, a friend offered some plants out of her yard, always my favorite way to get new things to plant. This one is called Silphium perfoliatum (Cup Plant).
Opposite pairs of leaves joined together at the stem (perfoliate), forming a cup (hence the name).
The perfoliate leaves and stout, square stem make Cup Plant easy to identify. It can create colonies from short, fibrous rhizomes and has become invasive in New England where it's been introduced. Cup Plant is a magnet for red aphids, which can be found in masses on the undersides of leaves, and subsequently become lodging for parasitic wasps and food for predatory insects as well as baby hummingbirds. No insecticide required! There are 2 recognized varieties: var. connatum, which has variously hairy stems and is only known from a few Mid-Atlantic states in the New River Valley, and var. perfoliatum, present in much of the central US, including Minnesota.
I remember that my car was loaded with aphids after driving home from Kim's gardens.
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Soon to be in bloom, I'll add a photo later of the open flower.
As I remember it, it is similar to a black eyed Susan.
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A cup is formed at the stem. Just above the cup there is a small green insect in this photo.
As I moved around the plant to get a better view of him, he moved to the other side.
Sneaky devil. |
Covid-19 update.
My county has had 92 out of the total 320 cases in the past 2 weeks. Two separate warnings were published about exposure possibilities, each listing a half dozen bars as locations of concern. In addition, the bean plant has 44% positive in their workforce. It's not a good trend.
My plan is to continue with my self quarantine life style. It is the safest.
Confirmed | Recovered - | Deaths |
Confirmed | Recovered - | Deaths |
United StatesConfirmed | Recovered - | Deaths |
Worldwide
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