'How 5 Friends Helped a Tulip Farm Make It to Mother’s Day' diff viewer (16/17)

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How 5 Friends Helped a Tulip Farm Make It to Mother’s Day	How 5 Friends Helped a Tulip Farm Make It to Mother’s Day
2020-06-24 18:40:41 UTC	2020-07-15 07:22:27 UTC (21 days later)
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — When the Mount Vernon High School Bulldogs faced off against their basketball rivals a generation ago, five friends from the class of 1994 were the spark plugs, game after game. Three were on the cheer squad, stoking school spirit; two were on court, scoring points.	MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — When the Mount Vernon High School Bulldogs faced off against their basketball rivals a generation ago, five friends from the class of 1994 were the spark plugs, game after game. Three were on the cheer squad, stoking school spirit; two were on court, scoring points.
They stayed in touch after graduation as they went on with families and careers, from military intelligence to law, finance and tech. And when Andrew Miller contacted them about a year ago and said he had an idea — maybe crazy, maybe great, maybe both — to get the band back together and become tulip farmers back in their old hometown, the chemistry still worked.	They stayed in touch after graduation as they went on with families and careers, from military intelligence to law, finance and tech. And when Andrew Miller contacted them about a year ago and said he had an idea — maybe crazy, maybe great, maybe both — to get the band back together and become tulip farmers back in their old hometown, the chemistry still worked.
Mr. Miller, who had been a yell leader with the cheer squad, then a trilingual Mormon missionary before careers in the military and corporate crisis management, was just as persuasive, his friends said, as he had been back in the day.	Mr. Miller, who had been a yell leader with the cheer squad, then a trilingual Mormon missionary before careers in the military and corporate crisis management, was just as persuasive, his friends said, as he had been back in the day.
“We went out to a happy hour and ended up buying a farm,” said Angela Speer, who went from cheering to sociology to information technology before veering back into agriculture at Tulip Town, the 30-acre farm the partners bought last summer.	“We went out to a happy hour and ended up buying a farm,” said Angela Speer, who went from cheering to sociology to information technology before veering back into agriculture at Tulip Town, the 30-acre farm the partners bought last summer.
The timing of their leap back together was stupendously awful.	The timing of their leap back together was stupendously awful.
As the first crucial spring approached this year — tulip blooms flash and fade like fireworks in March and April — so did the global pandemic of the coronavirus.	As the first crucial spring approached this year — tulip blooms flash and fade like fireworks in March and April — so did the global pandemic of the coronavirus.
A delicate and gorgeous symbol of spring that for growers reaches a financial peak on Mother’s Day — one of the biggest flower-gifting days of the year, alongside St. Valentine’s Day — quickly became another victim of the pandemic.	A delicate and gorgeous symbol of spring that for growers reaches a financial peak on Mother’s Day — one of the biggest flower-gifting days of the year, alongside St. Valentine’s Day — quickly became another victim of the pandemic.
The annual tulip festival that draws hundreds of thousands of people north of Seattle to Skagit County, where three-quarters of the nation’s commercial tulip crop is grown, was canceled. And that put every other element of the tulip economy into free fall as well: No festival visitors paying to stroll through the blossoms and no money spent on restaurants, hotel stays, bouquets and bulbs for growing at home — a $65 million hit to the local economy that only compounded the economic blows of the state’s shelter-in-place orders.	The annual tulip festival that draws hundreds of thousands of people north of Seattle to Skagit County, where three-quarters of the nation’s commercial tulip crop is grown, was canceled. And that put every other element of the tulip economy into free fall as well: No festival visitors paying to stroll through the blossoms and no money spent on restaurants, hotel stays, bouquets and bulbs for growing at home — a $65 million hit to the local economy that only compounded the economic blows of the state’s shelter-in-place orders.
The blossoms were gorgeous, but few could see them. National retail chains that typically buy millions of bouquets canceled their orders as they retrenched to selling quarantine supplies and basics like toilet paper.	The blossoms were gorgeous, but few could see them. National retail chains that typically buy millions of bouquets canceled their orders as they retrenched to selling quarantine supplies and basics like toilet paper.
“You put down 10 months of preparation and plan for a spring payoff, the season when we generate near all our annual revenue, and this year basically disappeared,” said Brent Roozen, a third-generation tulip farmer at RoozenGaarde, one of the nation’s biggest bulb growers, who raises tulips and daffodils on 800 acres spread across Skagit County.	“You put down 10 months of preparation and plan for a spring payoff, the season when we generate near all our annual revenue, and this year basically disappeared,” said Brent Roozen, a third-generation tulip farmer at RoozenGaarde, one of the nation’s biggest bulb growers, who raises tulips and daffodils on 800 acres spread across Skagit County.
The company, started by William Roozen, an immigrant from the Netherlands in the 1940s and Brent Roozen’s grandfather, is now trying to decide whether to retrench and plant fewer bulbs this summer and fall to save money, or go deeper into risk by betting on a better spring next year. “If we want to hope for a future, we have to make some tough decisions now,” Brent Roozen said.	The company, started by William Roozen, an immigrant from the Netherlands in the 1940s and Brent Roozen’s grandfather, is now trying to decide whether to retrench and plant fewer bulbs this summer and fall to save money, or go deeper into risk by betting on a better spring next year. “If we want to hope for a future, we have to make some tough decisions now,” Brent Roozen said.
But the five newcomers on their much smaller farm — they named their partnership The Spinach Bus in honor of a rickety old vehicle that some of them rode as teenagers to and from their summer jobs in the fields — also realized something powerful. Coming in new, however harrowing the collapse, meant that everything about how the tulip business was supposed to work was also new, to be tried and tested and improvised around to keep from sinking.	But the five newcomers on their much smaller farm — they named their partnership The Spinach Bus in honor of a rickety old vehicle that some of them rode as teenagers to and from their summer jobs in the fields — also realized something powerful. Coming in new, however harrowing the collapse, meant that everything about how the tulip business was supposed to work was also new, to be tried and tested and improvised around to keep from sinking.
“Ninety percent plus of our revenue comes in that four-week period,” said Randy Howard, who studied accounting and taxation after high school; he played forward for the Bulldogs and now serves as the partnership’s chief financial officer. “So we had to pivot.”	“Ninety percent plus of our revenue comes in that four-week period,” said Randy Howard, who studied accounting and taxation after high school; he played forward for the Bulldogs and now serves as the partnership’s chief financial officer. “So we had to pivot.”
And there was another element too, the partners said — a deep well of confidence in one another, based on their shared history.	And there was another element too, the partners said — a deep well of confidence in one another, based on their shared history.
“I knew who they were,” said Donnie Keltz, who played guard on the Mount Vernon basketball team. Mr. Keltz — like all the Spinach Bus crew, in his mid 40s — had started his own insurance firm after college. “Anytime you get partners, you’ve got to have trust,” he said.	“I knew who they were,” said Donnie Keltz, who played guard on the Mount Vernon basketball team. Mr. Keltz — like all the Spinach Bus crew, in his mid 40s — had started his own insurance firm after college. “Anytime you get partners, you’ve got to have trust,” he said.
So, in adapting on the fly through March and April, the Spinach Bus partners took an ancient flower — evidence of cultivation goes back more than 1,000 years, and seed banks in the Netherlands, the heart of the global industry, have specimens grown continuously since the late 1500s — and ignored much of what had been done before in selling it.	So, in adapting on the fly through March and April, the Spinach Bus partners took an ancient flower — evidence of cultivation goes back more than 1,000 years, and seed banks in the Netherlands, the heart of the global industry, have specimens grown continuously since the late 1500s — and ignored much of what had been done before in selling it.
“Part of the great thing about our group is that there are five of us, and we take turns having our moments of stress or anxiety or sadness because we all went through all of those feelings,” Ms. Speer said. “Almost on a daily basis we were pivoting our business model.”	“Part of the great thing about our group is that there are five of us, and we take turns having our moments of stress or anxiety or sadness because we all went through all of those feelings,” Ms. Speer said. “Almost on a daily basis we were pivoting our business model.”
The first improvisation came a few days after stay-at-home orders were issued in Washington State in mid-March.	The first improvisation came a few days after stay-at-home orders were issued in Washington State in mid-March.
Phone calls started coming in from people who were not going to be able to come in person to visit, said Rachael Ward Sparwasser, whose journey went from cheer squad to lawyer and investor to tulip partner. “Would you be willing to ship blossoms?” the callers asked. The old business model had mostly involved shipping bulbs to gardeners, not fresh bouquets.	Phone calls started coming in from people who were not going to be able to come in person to visit, said Rachael Ward Sparwasser, whose journey went from cheer squad to lawyer and investor to tulip partner. “Would you be willing to ship blossoms?” the callers asked. The old business model had mostly involved shipping bulbs to gardeners, not fresh bouquets.
~~Updated ~~June~~ ~~24,~~ 2020~~	Updated July 7, 2020
	The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus is spread via these tiny droplets, or aerosols, compared with larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech. Aerosols are released even when a person without symptoms exhales, talks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have outlined the evidence in an open letter to the World Health Organization.
	Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles.	Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles.
A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.	A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.
The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.	The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.
The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.	The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.
So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.	So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.	Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.	A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.
Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)	If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.	If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
Their company had 600 shipping boxes in storage, and Ms. Sparwasser figured they might get orders to send 100 or 200 boxes, 20 stems each.	Their company had 600 shipping boxes in storage, and Ms. Sparwasser figured they might get orders to send 100 or 200 boxes, 20 stems each.
“Within the first day, we sold through all of it,” she said. Within weeks, they boxed and sold 8,000 bouquets, a completely new business line started from scratch.	“Within the first day, we sold through all of it,” she said. Within weeks, they boxed and sold 8,000 bouquets, a completely new business line started from scratch.
Then, as a wave of appreciation grew around the country for health care workers and others at the front lines of the virus, the idea struck that people might pay to have a bouquet of tulips sent as a donation and statement of support. So came their new Color for Courage business line — and more than 4,700 more orders at $15 a bouquet.	Then, as a wave of appreciation grew around the country for health care workers and others at the front lines of the virus, the idea struck that people might pay to have a bouquet of tulips sent as a donation and statement of support. So came their new Color for Courage business line — and more than 4,700 more orders at $15 a bouquet.
In late April, the partners committed to planting a pick-your-own strawberry patch, which they figured could go well with the new beer and wine garden they started before the coronavirus shutdown. Parents — once they are able to come back — can sip a Skagit County brew while the children play in the dirt.	In late April, the partners committed to planting a pick-your-own strawberry patch, which they figured could go well with the new beer and wine garden they started before the coronavirus shutdown. Parents — once they are able to come back — can sip a Skagit County brew while the children play in the dirt.
Then Mr. Miller had an idea: Daily strolls up and down the rows of tulips at sunrise and sunset, streamed live on Facebook.	Then Mr. Miller had an idea: Daily strolls up and down the rows of tulips at sunrise and sunset, streamed live on Facebook.