One of the largest trees in our garden is a blossoming cherry, a tree that blooms for a few weeks every year but does not bear fruit. For our first couple of years here I was tempted to replace the blossoming cherry with a tree that produced things we could eat. However, over the next few years, I came to love those spring days when our blossoming cherry is the star of our little neck of the planet, and to love those days in the fall when her large leaves turn golden yellow and light our way into winter.
As we enter our second month of sheltering-in-place in response to the pandemic, I’ve been musing about which activities and businesses and occupations and things our government considers essential, and which activities and businesses and occupations and things our government considers non-essential.