Here in Southeast Virginia I think it’s 22° but it feels like 1°. The 26-year-old Heating And Air air-conditioning is working like crazy in tandem with the wood stove which my invalid.(that’s another story.) husband is keeping going. We had a little tiny snow tonight which started around 4 PM and ended around seven probably about 2 inches
yesterday they were telling us we would have 12 inches
Ahh.. the good old days… all nighters and burning tires… blankets over the crotons, gardenias and hibiscus- even turning on the grove and yard sprinklers if a hard freeze is forecast… y’all stay warm now… last week we were freezing in Kaua’i (it got down to just below 60! And I cranked up my gas fireplace) but we’re on the beach today 😉
i still cover plants here in zero temps but do haul in my gardenia and a jasmine here in Toledo now did lose my meieyer lemon tree in columbus as i was in Toledo tooo long in the fall and didn’t bring it here from cbus damn it… my 60 plus orchids have long since departed as well( ones i had from my Tampa Tribune bureau in Lake Wales ( mother trib ) days after yet again moving to freaking Ohio ( my furniture needed wheels back in the day) but yeh can relate ( you could also make a tent like thingy and put a light bulb for warmth too as well but 20 ish for longish hours is hard… don’t use plastic though unless fabric is under it… good luck… i’m in for a few days as we only got like 10 inches of snow now MOSTLY shoveled and piled up street a sheet of ice but main roads ok and cbus got like 16 inches abd roads still a mess….keep warm! hugs!
Sincere simpathy from Nashville, where we have snow, minus-zippo (zero, not the popular lighter--notice the common noun) degrees and large swaths (love that word) of neighborhoods that, while they might have a "pot to piss in, still have no electricity. The affected areas? The rich folks, including Belle Meade, which might be the No. 1 zip code for the richest in all of the land. Dolly will save us!
Somebody sound the alarm." My regards to the late JB .I'm in the Northern Piedmont of NC. Been here since 88. As of the 4 o'clock hour this PM there's 8" of the fluffiest snow you would ever want to sled or ski on. You never see this much snow in S. Florida unless it comes from Columbia or Peru
OBTW its covering the1.5 inches of ice I have remaining since last weekends storm. Furthermore a weather guy out of Charlotte ( I'm 40 miles North of the Queen City) His screen name is Larry Sprinkle and his forecast plus the radar has it snowing here until about 11pm tonight. When frozen precip falls here in NC there is a mad dash to local Bodega for milk and bread..EFF that SHIT..I stocked up on some good IPA'S, steak, ribs and stuff to make a good gumbo. This Florida boy knows how to get buy,,as for the Florida citrus industry,, You can blame Mother Nature... and what did that murderer say after he shot Ms. Good at point blank range...Fucking Bitch
Despite being a center of higher education, some of us in Gainesville - unlike Mark - are slow learners, attempting to create a tropical landscape and attitude while ignoring the latitude. This afternoon, I will be wrapping the trunks of my Rainbow Eucalyptus trees in a desperate attempt to save a portion of the trees from the cold. HBR sounds like a more intelligent solution to the lowering temps.
When I moved into my home in Gainesville, I looked around at the heavily wooded acre and a half and the lawn and said, "Best of luck to you all!" The strong and appropriate survived. I have not contributed to that survival. Best to you and Debbie.
Those who were fortunate enough to be in the group remember a January birding adventure and Bob’s campstove hot buttered rum. I’m sure this recipe is delicious but always extra special in the great outdoors
To which I might suggest: Make your HBR inside then step outside and drink it while you’re freezing your butt off. You’re right, Steve, it goes down better that way.
Thanks, Bob,...always great to read your humor and insight, topped off with an HBR! We're getting ready to try to save our precious Juli mango and avocado by dressing them as youve described,... simply too big to try to cover the entire trees.
Mark, you are a brave man to mention that you have a Julie growing in your yard. I’ll be the guy lurking around your neighborhood with felonious intent come June. It hasn’t already started to blossom has it?
Yes, it has, and ee are very fearful of losing it... not only the current crop, but the tree itself. We have some seeds, but don't know if we will be around here for the ten years it will take for the new tree to bear fruit.
Temps soared into the 20s here in New York today. Feels like spring.
loved that column by the way - you are performing a manly service by providing that HBR recipe - with no pesky black lung side effects
Thoroughly enjoyed this essay. It got me past my grief over my dead tomato plants, for whom a sheet was not enough. Will save the recipe.
I’d commit that recipe to memory…
Here in Southeast Virginia I think it’s 22° but it feels like 1°. The 26-year-old Heating And Air air-conditioning is working like crazy in tandem with the wood stove which my invalid.(that’s another story.) husband is keeping going. We had a little tiny snow tonight which started around 4 PM and ended around seven probably about 2 inches
yesterday they were telling us we would have 12 inches
Can’t fool mother nature.
And if you try to fool her then it will bite you in the ass.
Right on
Ahh.. the good old days… all nighters and burning tires… blankets over the crotons, gardenias and hibiscus- even turning on the grove and yard sprinklers if a hard freeze is forecast… y’all stay warm now… last week we were freezing in Kaua’i (it got down to just below 60! And I cranked up my gas fireplace) but we’re on the beach today 😉
i still cover plants here in zero temps but do haul in my gardenia and a jasmine here in Toledo now did lose my meieyer lemon tree in columbus as i was in Toledo tooo long in the fall and didn’t bring it here from cbus damn it… my 60 plus orchids have long since departed as well( ones i had from my Tampa Tribune bureau in Lake Wales ( mother trib ) days after yet again moving to freaking Ohio ( my furniture needed wheels back in the day) but yeh can relate ( you could also make a tent like thingy and put a light bulb for warmth too as well but 20 ish for longish hours is hard… don’t use plastic though unless fabric is under it… good luck… i’m in for a few days as we only got like 10 inches of snow now MOSTLY shoveled and piled up street a sheet of ice but main roads ok and cbus got like 16 inches abd roads still a mess….keep warm! hugs!
Sincere simpathy from Nashville, where we have snow, minus-zippo (zero, not the popular lighter--notice the common noun) degrees and large swaths (love that word) of neighborhoods that, while they might have a "pot to piss in, still have no electricity. The affected areas? The rich folks, including Belle Meade, which might be the No. 1 zip code for the richest in all of the land. Dolly will save us!
"20 degress and the hockey game's on
Nobody cares, they are way too far gone
Screamin', "Boat drinks"
Somethin' to keep them all warm
This morning
I shot six holes in my freezer
I think I got cabin fever
Somebody sound the alarm." My regards to the late JB .I'm in the Northern Piedmont of NC. Been here since 88. As of the 4 o'clock hour this PM there's 8" of the fluffiest snow you would ever want to sled or ski on. You never see this much snow in S. Florida unless it comes from Columbia or Peru
OBTW its covering the1.5 inches of ice I have remaining since last weekends storm. Furthermore a weather guy out of Charlotte ( I'm 40 miles North of the Queen City) His screen name is Larry Sprinkle and his forecast plus the radar has it snowing here until about 11pm tonight. When frozen precip falls here in NC there is a mad dash to local Bodega for milk and bread..EFF that SHIT..I stocked up on some good IPA'S, steak, ribs and stuff to make a good gumbo. This Florida boy knows how to get buy,,as for the Florida citrus industry,, You can blame Mother Nature... and what did that murderer say after he shot Ms. Good at point blank range...Fucking Bitch
The good news is, in five or 10 years it’ll be warm enough where you live for all your plants to survive the coldest nights.
Ya mean, I can grow mangoes up here without fear? Almost worth it …
Despite being a center of higher education, some of us in Gainesville - unlike Mark - are slow learners, attempting to create a tropical landscape and attitude while ignoring the latitude. This afternoon, I will be wrapping the trunks of my Rainbow Eucalyptus trees in a desperate attempt to save a portion of the trees from the cold. HBR sounds like a more intelligent solution to the lowering temps.
And maybe you could try irrigating them with HBR.
There are two kinds of people;
those who look at someone and say "asshole"
and those who see the same person and say "a soul"
I assume we're all a little bit of both, give or take.
You’re a better man than I…
If you eat mangoes you’ll live forever …
When I moved into my home in Gainesville, I looked around at the heavily wooded acre and a half and the lawn and said, "Best of luck to you all!" The strong and appropriate survived. I have not contributed to that survival. Best to you and Debbie.
Like your style, Mark. We need to catch up …
We will be making a trip or two to Luka's Nursery and Palmer's Garden next week is my guess
That’s hopeful. Might be another cold snap after this one …
Those who were fortunate enough to be in the group remember a January birding adventure and Bob’s campstove hot buttered rum. I’m sure this recipe is delicious but always extra special in the great outdoors
To which I might suggest: Make your HBR inside then step outside and drink it while you’re freezing your butt off. You’re right, Steve, it goes down better that way.
Thanks, Bob,...always great to read your humor and insight, topped off with an HBR! We're getting ready to try to save our precious Juli mango and avocado by dressing them as youve described,... simply too big to try to cover the entire trees.
Mark, you are a brave man to mention that you have a Julie growing in your yard. I’ll be the guy lurking around your neighborhood with felonious intent come June. It hasn’t already started to blossom has it?
Yes, it has, and ee are very fearful of losing it... not only the current crop, but the tree itself. We have some seeds, but don't know if we will be around here for the ten years it will take for the new tree to bear fruit.
The "alien" is a Pencil Tree. Great for a journalist. Toxic to dogs and cats and mildly toxic to humans.
Toxic? It looks hallucinogenic…
yes, and take particular care not to touch your eyes after touching (or worse yet, cutting) your pencil plant.