Shelter in Place, San Francisco, California

The sun is bright, the yellow climbing rose is having its second bloom, the bougainvillea is filling in over the patio, and the agapanthus is shooting up new stalks every day. Every few weeks I declare that we’ve reached my favorite time in the garden’s cycle, and then something else comes along and blooms. So here it is, the day before the holiday and we’re all wonderfully decked out… with nowhere to go and no house guests in sight.

As happy as the garden makes me today, I am equally sad to see this special holiday tainted by serious political division, rising death rates from a terrible disease, an economy on the brink, and a world that is laughing at our tomfoolery and closing their borders to us. Never have I been so afraid for our democracy and, I have to say, the loss of pride and faith in my country and leadership simply breaks my heart.

Be safe, my friends. Get all decked out, by all means, and remember how great this country can be when we embody the values that made us so.