Magnolias

I walk past this gorgeous magnolia tree on my loop around the neighborhood. All magnolias are beautiful, but this variety is stunning. Some people call them "tulip trees."

The magnolia species is ancient, and evolved before the first bees even appeared on earth, 95 million years ago. Magnolias adapted to encourage pollination by beetles instead, and the leathery flowers protect the plant from crawling and chewing insects.

For a flower we associate with southern lawns and fluttering ladies, magnolias are tough as nails.  Remember the title of that 1989 movie?  "Steel Magnolias," starring Julia Roberts and Dolly Parton.

So Memorial Day weekend is here, and this strange spring winds down. It's the official start of what people are calling the "bummer summer," because all public events (at least in our part of the country) have been cancelled.

Our state shut down early in March, which no doubt saved thousands of lives. Of course this came at an economic price, and considerable social sacrifice. The new cases have slowly plateaued, which is good news, but also frustrating when it comes to reopening. When and how?

King County, the largest in Washington state, will probably be last to move forward. We're stalled at Stage 1 for the foreseeable future, which means "stay home except for essential trips." So it goes. There are worse places to be.

Have a safe weekend. Avoid crowds, don't jump in freezing water.
Be tough; be beautiful to others.