Texas has lost its ever loving mind, I tell you what.

Since the governor eased stay home orders and business restrictions on the day we had the highest number of deaths from coronavirus I’m sure this is all going to workout just fine. Last time I was in the grocery store I was one of only about 3 or 4 people wearing masks and I got a couple of looks for wearing one too. People have taken the easing of restrictions to mean they can completely go back to their normal habits. It’s not gonna be great, I’m sure you can tell.

At the entrance to the grocery store they still have an employee wiping down carts with disinfectant and handing them out (could we keep that up after the pandemic I hope?) and a younger aged guy intentionally walked behind the employee to grab an unsanitized one. The employee chased after him: “Sir, sir, I have carts right here for you!” To which he replied aggressively: “I want one of these!” I have never hoped someone gets E. Coli from a dirty cart so badly in my life. Like really what is the POINT of that?! What exactly was he trying to prove?

The no mask wearing is really getting to me- when I wear one it isn’t about protecting me, its about protecting you, that’s why we should all do it! The folks not wearing masks are the same subset that also carry guns in public. So it kinda blows the “I do this to protect you in case something bad happens!” argument outta the water. Because if you’ll wear a gun in public but not a mask you don’t care about protecting anyone, you just want to look badass. Those people can just fuck right off.

But! It was Mothers’ Day last weekend and it was a nice one!

It was, as always, such a nice day!

We still isolated, no one think we didn’t, but a bit of a road trip, a picnic next to a river, and a wander around a graveyard were high on the list of things I wanted to do. It was time to stretch our legs a little and get out of the house, for just a little while. (Not long enough to require a bathroom stop anywhere or anything though.)

So we drove  to a neighboring small town and looked at some historic houses, and then the family indulged me and we wandered around a historic graveyard. We made a game out of it and whoever found their birthday, the oldest grave, and the most interesting inscription got a dollar. (There is no running or being loud though- still gotta be respectful.) That got the kids to look at the stones and read and I think they kinda enjoyed it. Or pretended to. Everyone at least indulged me with my weird hobby on Mothers’ Day, so I appreciated it.

Found an interesting one with a piece added later leaning against it in the shape of a tablet that said L.D.S. on it. Considering that the Latter Day Saints have that proxy/vicarious baptism thing where they baptize the dead into the Mormon church I’m thinking that’s what is going on here. After the controversy in the 90s about them baptizing the holocaust rolls (Anne Frank was baptized by proxy…. it was a whole thing) the rules changed and you’re just supposed to do your own ancestors or get the okay of living ancestors first.

I get that the Mormon’s honestly think they are doing the right thing with that practice and all, but the image in my head of Mormon heaven is with some VERY vocal and pissed off Jewish grandmothers telling them what for.

In other news-  I know this picture is grainy, but here was an owl we saw on a recent walk- we got quite close to it before it took off as well.

And finally, this is from a couple of weeks ago, but this is the biggest bass I have EVER caught on this river: 5.25 lbs! (Social isolating is also easy to do on a canoe)

At least, should we ever need them,  we know we have the skills to feed the family and all.

And make our own gin fizzes. That’s vital too.

Stay (mostly) home and stay safe y’all- it’s still all zombie-apocalypse out there.