I’ve been soo looking forward to getting down to my local plant place this morning.  I had read an FB post that said she’d require masks and gloves, limit the amount of people inside (it is very small and crowded with plants), and so I felt she was doing her best to keep us all safe.  I was very disappointed when I saw that she was Not wearing a mask and I said so as I walked in.

She went off on me.  I mean, she was hollering at me, shaking, tears…Told me that the Dept. of Health said she and her employees cannot wear masks and that the problem was with the shoes…that I would need to go home and bleach my shoes after I shopped… My jaw dropped, under my mask, and I said, I’m sorry.  I was thinking about You; I’m wearing a mask.  She yelled that my mask wasn’t doing me any good (per the Health Dept.) I was wearing gloves and she shouted that I couldn’t wear those gloves in and they had an employee standing there (no mask) handing out gloves (no social distancing). She howled that she and her employees are not sick…(you could still be a carrier) I tried to calm her down, but she kept on wailing that I just don’t know how scared she is and how hard she’s working.  (good thing she’s not a nurse) She was screaming all this standing about a foot away from me and realized how close she was, so she stepped back a couple of feet and kept yelling,  Inside people stopped and stared, many of them not wearing masks, many of them crowded together.  During the rant she said the Health Dept. told her she is not allowed to Make people wear masks. This went on a little longer until I said, If you’re going to keep yelling at me I guess I’ll just leave.  She said Go.  I was shaking by that time, so that was that.

It is critical to emphasize that maintaining 6-feet social distancing remains important to slowing the spread of the virus.  CDC is additionally advising the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others.  Cloth face coverings fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost can be used as an additional, voluntary public health measure.

That place has been a part of my life since I started gardening 20+ years ago and I’m already grieving it. I love those people and support them even in the winter time when they’re just a convenience store.  The yelling lady is a kind person and I forgive her for her tirade, but there was no social distancing going on by her or her employees and they were Not Wearing Masks to protect themselves.  I hope they’re all okay and remain healthy.

My money will be spent at another local nursery that has set up barriers between themselves and their customers, practices proper social distancing, to take care of ThemSelves.  I would have bought everything there already, but I wanted to support her business.

I’ll take care of me and that includes not shopping where people let their employees be at risk.  That’s why I send Casey to Rural King…hahaha.

As for the Health Department, wtf?  According to her, they’re the ones that told her all this crap.  And they are the folks who denied any covid in the area as late as mid-March.  The messaging on this pandemic has been So Faulty, to say the least.  I know, plenty of people are saying they’re not afraid of getting sick and they’ll take their chances. Well, I’m not a gambler, but I know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, and know when to walk away.

My hairdresser sent out a notice that the salon is going to open back up.  If they simply go back to the way things were, or if the Health Dept. is telling them they’re not allowed to wear masks or gloves, and that there’s no need to social distance, then I’ll just wait.  But that’s just me.  Ya’ll go on out there and enjoy.

I guess we’re all feeling a little stressed right now, huh?  Sending out Rays of Love.

Peace