What Do You Want For Christmas?

Now I love snow....I really do......but while looking through some pictures today I felt a twinge of wistful desire for something really different this Christmas.

I felt that a glimpse backward might be nice....

....maybe a colorful blast of sunshine....

...I mean, we all seek it from time to time......

...that delightful color explosion.....

....we just want to immerse ourselves in it.....

 ...long enough to feel those simple pleasures of warmth and relaxation...

....that make up this fabulous life we all cherish.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!  *~<]:-)

Checking In

Wow, I certainly haven't been here in awhile! Looks like things are getting kinda dusty, like this squirrel...

.....oh wait-that's snow (and LOTS of it!) Guess it's time to work on my gardening "year in review" posts....

.....this could take awhile. May as well get comfortable!

Late Season S.P.R (Summer Progress Resuscitation)

This was the foreboding forecast on October 2nd, signaling the beginning of the end of my veggies...
...so the rush was on to bring in anything edible! There were a bunch of green tomatoes....

...along with a nice assortment of peppers, eggplants, teeny zucchini, red asparagus beans (the long ones), broccoli bits, and even a squash blossom. I collected every speck of edible anything!

  

 

Then came an unexpected turn of events: my garden recieved some SPR ("Summer Progress Resuscitation"). Like a phoenix from the ashes, this tomato bloom rises from dead, curled foliage...

...and beans are forming once again on my 'Royalty Purple Pod' plants.

The "moon garden" of night-blooming plants has been largely un-phased by the cold all along, aside from the fact that my moonflower vine died back immediately, and this datura hasn't developed a flowerbud (yet).

These 'Caraflex' cabbages were sown August 19th as a fall crop, and they're cruising right along as expected (I have covered the wire with "row cover-type" material on the coldest nights, just to be safe.)

This 'Cocozelle' summer squash has been an amazing producer all season, and now even with damaged leaves I see that blooms are still forming! (Male-only thus far, so I can enjoy sauteed squash blossoms but likely no more fruit.)

This cute little 'Gold Rush Currant' tomato has fruit still ripening! It's growing against a fence on the west side of the property, but there's no radiant heat from a building or anything...amazing.

Check out the fruit and blooms on this 'Fairytale' eggplant! It's in a semi-protected spot between the house and garage, but there's no roof or trees overhead.

Look at my 'Red Deer Tongue' lettuce-the leaves are finally really red (earlier in the season they were mostly green with some specks of red, appearing sunburnt or dirty). All this late season activity is sooo exciting, I wonder if there's enough warm weather left for another modest harvest?

Apparently not according to this guy! He makes this declaration for my area on October 4th, but everything is hanging tough so far.

Good thing my plants don't watch TV!

Fall Is Falling!

Leaves are turning... ...peppers are ripening...

...and veggies are the stars in my kitchen!

Lately I'm busy playing "beat the frost", be back soon....

Fall is back! Ack!

Ok, I knew it was coming...but now? Our lows are suddenly in the 40's at night, and highs only in the 60's all day. They keep saying that it will warm up, but it simply hasn't. I still have peppers to harvest, perennials to divide, houseplants to take in, tomatoes to see ripen...what will I do? This little bee seems to share my sentiments exactly! C'mon summer, gimmie just a couple more weeks....pleeese?

Three Phases of Cool

Storms yesterday brought the most interesting sunset colors! Yellow... ....to orange....

...to blood red!

And then the rains came.

That's More Like It

The snow melted and spring has returned to normal... ....as if that was a regular rain shower....

....the flowers almost seem to have enjoyed it!

Beautifully blooming their hearts out...

...right through the grass and lawn debris.

Some spring bushes have begun to bloom as well, this is white forsythia Abeliophyllum distichum...

...hooray spring!!

What a Difference a Day Makes!

Yesterday spring was coming along just fine.... ....unusually warmly for this northern location...

....with flowers blooming like a dream....

...and then I woke up! This morning I had over 3 inches of snow and no power...

....froggy here doesn't seem to mind, but the bulbs nearby might have something to say about it (if they could talk :)

It was quite the reality check for my emerging plants....

....and the damage has yet to be measured....

...since the brisk wind kept bringing more snow all day.

My wintersown plants will hopefully live up to their method and prevail regardless...

...only time will tell. Tomorrow the forecast is back to spring with temps into the 50's, so another day will make such a difference that this will seem like a strange dream. Or hallucination. In fact, if I click my heels together....perhaps I can exit this snowy "Oz" and get back to my warm spring....

Current Events

I'd like to interrupt my 2009 veggie review to celebrate winter, at a time when most folks are sick of it. I'm planning out this year's planters, but for now they rest...

...unlike my furry friends here. I have grey and black squirrels up here, but none of the big red version we had in Indiana. (Click on the link to be schooled like I was when I read that these two are "Eastern Grey Squirrels", and the red ones are "Fox Squirrels". I'd always thought they were color variations of the same creature since they look so similar...huh.)

I'm organizing my seeds to gear up for wintersowing , and even acquiring new ones like this assortment from an awesome garden blogger's seed swap-initiated by Monica.
Look how many packets I had to choose from!

The kitties are pretty much in "hibernation mode".....

....but the wild birds don't have that luxury. I'm fortunate to host so many doves....

...they're just lovely!

Spring may be on the way, and I'll be happy to get back in the garden. But there is a calm and beauty to the clean white winter landscape that I'm actually going to miss. Really! :)