NO IDEA AND MY WORLD'S CHANGED A LOT

I have absolutely no idea of the name of this plant. Not only that, but I cannot remember from where it came, so I can’t even return to the source and inquire. Anyway, it’s the plant in which some animal decided to take a nap. I have about six inches of topsoil and then it becomes hardpan. No matter how hard I pound on a stake, it will only go so far. The weight of the branches of this plant pull the stakes over when I try to put garden wire from one stake to another, so the plants just lean out over the sidewalk and lawn. Plus the little white blossoms fall off and the dogs (and moi) carry them back into the house.

Yesterday I decided I was extremely annoyed by this plant and resolved to just yank it all out of its flowerbed. I knew I had planted dahlias in that flowerbed and amazingly, all three had returned...I just couldn't see them because they were buried. Thanks to this plant’s elimination, the dahlias can now grow and my yard waste bin was full to the brim. There are still roots in the flowerbed, so I’m sure it will return before fall or for sure next year. I’ll just try to do a better containment job then.

Today, Monday, I had to make a trip to Ballard. Decades ago, I rode my bike from Fremont through Ballard to Golden Gardens. Then, after John and I married, we lived in northwest Ballard for a few years before we bought this house. I drove through Ballard and Fremont to get to my job at the University of Washington. Later on, when I went to work at the zoo, both Fremont and Ballard were easy lunch access points, and I became quite familiar with the areas. That also included Greenwood.

I’ve now been retired nine years and must say my world has become ever so much smaller with retirement, especially when the folks I knew at the zoo either retired as well or left for another job elsewhere. Before John died, I got out far more often and went more places, mainly to get him to his doctors’ appointments. Now, the pandemic has even further decreased my range of travel. It’s amazing that I didn’t have an accident, as in rear-ending someone, because of all the changes that have taken place since my retirement, John’s death and the pandemic.

I took the freeway from 205^th to 145^th and was astonished at how much work has been accomplished on the light rail construction. Off the freeway, my eyes continued to widen at the number of places that had been removed for new construction of what are most likely condos or apartment buildings to serve the people who will move there for easy access to the light rail.

Because of traffic, I kinda decided to take a more back way to get into downtown Ballard. Again, there were places I recognized and others that had changed so much I didn’t remember them being there even though the construction looked old. In downtown Ballard, there are new apartment or condo buildings all over the place. One entire corner is empty, but I’m sure they’ll be building something there in no time.

On my way home I took Market Street, and again, so many new buildings have replaced what was there not even ten years ago. And the trees. The trees were planted long ago, but they have become huge and for entire sections of the street, you are driving in a tree tunnel. It was kinda comforting to see what I think was the very first Seattle McDonalds is still in the same place and still in business.

Talk about feeling as though I’m out of the loop. I almost felt as though I had left the familiar for the unknown, or entered an adjacent world that was sort of like mine, but not. If this pandemic continues into 2021, which appears as though it will be the case, it seems to be entirely possible there will be complete areas that I won’t recognize.

When we all had to shelter in place, I only went to the grocery store, wearing a mask and using hand sanitizer very very often. I don’t think we necessarily have to shelter in place now, so that means I can leave the house, get in my car and drive wherever I would like. Maybe that’s what I need to do one day a week? Just get in the car and pick an area I’d like to visit once again. The only problem with that is twofold. First, it’s hard to get up the energy to just go drive myself around. Secondly, how much fun would it be with just me, myself and I? True, we’re all great company, but me and myself don’t always talk to I.

While I’m grateful John isn’t alive to experience this pandemic and die as a result, it would be nice to have him here to share in those rides all about the area. I remember back in the old days, i.e., the ‘60’s and ‘70s when we’d take Sunday…or even Saturday…drives all over the northwest. Now that there’s not a lot of traffic out there and the weather is cooperating, it would be ever so much fun to hop in the car and go exploring like we used to do all those decades ago. And yes, I could. And, yes, maybe I will give it a try one of these days.