I absolutely love my backyard. It’s large, with mature trees and a covered deck with Edison lights hanging from the crossbars. There are hammock chairs to relax and kick your feet back, and a fire pit to roast s’mores. We put in an above-ground pool, with tiki torches surrounding it. There’s also a gravel walkway lined with solar lights leading to a garden along the back fence. There are multiple flower beds, with amaryllis, lilies, and sunflowers. It’s truly an oasis in the hot Texas summers. Inevitably though, every spring, I have to fight the weeds. Even though there is a weed barrier under the gravel walkway, weeds still pop up all along the pathway and in the cracks of the porch. I have to spray them and pull them every spring. Last week, I went out to the backyard to start pulling the weeds. However, some of the plants growing in the walkway didn’t look like weeds. I used Google Lens, and it told me that these plants were sunflowers. About 10 plants, not yet budded—jus...
In March, executive orders from governors across the country forced us to stay home, to close schools and churches and to shut down private businesses. Businesses were classified as either "essential" or "non-essential." All businesses deemed "non-essential" were forced to close. This included markets, clothing stores, boutiques, dine-in restaurants, and beauty salons. State parks, city parks, beaches, walking trails, lakes, and other wide open spaces were closed as well. Many people feel that the "social distancing," as it has come to be known, and stay at home executive orders violate their constitutional rights, such as our First Amendment right to freely exercise our religion, our right to peaceably assemble, and that we shall not be deprived of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Some of the people who feel their rights have been violated have decided to exercise their First Amendment right to protest. Some have even chosen...