I am afraid to go outside today!

[Kansas Terri]

I walk with a cane when the footing is poor, and there is a thin sheet of ice over everything! And, of course the Ice Melt is still in the garage, and I would have to go outside to get it! Stairs are involved, and I believe that I will not be taking those stairs right now.

I had hoped that it would melt off earlier, but here it is 11 AM and it has not melted yet!

I tried to get a fire going because a fire is cheerful, but the kindling is outside and down the stairs. Logs and paper are just not working. I tried dripping candle wax all over everything but that burned out pretty quickly!

Lastly, it got colder last night than the weatherman said, and my plants were uncovered! I have no idea if they survived or not, because I am stuck inside!

Grump.

I tried a new cookie recipe to cheer myself up, but it is pretty bland. Oh, well, my husband and especially my son will eat them up: God bless teenaged appetites!

 

[Kansas Terri]

UPDATE: I went outside about 12 because the world was starting to drip, and with great care I went down the still-icy steps.

To my pleasant surprise, everything looks really good! Beets are SO hardy! I am relieved that I have not lost the garden.... yet. Of course it will die soon, I am just not ready to go inside and mostly stay there.

I did not check the cabbage and the onions because the gentle breeze was what I have heard call a "lay wind": it is too lazy to go around you and so it goes through you!

I also brought in kindling but it was damp and it is not doing very well: I think that I am going to give up on having a fire today.

 

[zigs]

Cold and frosty here today too, all my Sister's Nasturtiums have died, but i've still got one near the house that didn't get frosted.

Got damp firewood on top of the logburner, it soon dries out.

 

[Kansas Terri]

Yes, it did dry out, and I was finally able to get the fire started. I cannot believe that I forgot how much smoke smell that a fire gave the house! I shall have to clean up the clear doors that fit over the fireplace before I try for another fire!

My son will be home in 20 minutes or so, and I THINK we still have marshmallows! He will be pleased!

The real cold should hit: tonight: 13 degrees Fahrenheit is predicted for both Saturday and Sunday. That is 10 below in Celsius. In spite of covering the plants I shall probably lose the garden in perhaps 2 weeks time.

This gardening season was so SHORT!I usually plant the tropicals in May, but last May we got 2 major blizzards! I only got one picking of melons, and last year I got three. I hear a lot about global warming, but I have not been seeing any where I live!
.

 

[zigs]

Minus 10

The real truth about global warming is so scary that they don't tell you, it would cause global unrest rather than warming.

It's just a cover story.

 

[Becky]

Crikey, wrap up warm!

I hope your son has fetched the Ice Melt for you!

 

[Kansas Terri]

No, by the time he had come home I had completely forgot about the Ice Melt! Which is why the Ice Melt was still in the garage in the first place!

I seem to be having trouble wrapping my mind around winter almost being here: possibly because our spring was so late? Or, would it be because my daughter suddenly moved to Texas about a thousand miles away and I was too distracted to spend much time outside? She says she is doing fine, but sometimes she is not honest and I worry.

On the good side there should be no more freezing rain for a while, and next week it should warm up some. The mint can go back outside, and perhaps we can get a bit more yard work done. My son does not like helping outside, but if it is not done soon then it will not be done until next spring!

 

[Pat]

It was 26 F this morning in my area, I think it is clear winter is here for awhile. I would like for it to stay away just a little longer. This bitterly cold weather is not to my liking at all. For a few days the sky was heavy with water, to warm to snow just promises of rain that never came. Gray days only, the sun is shinning but no heat to warm up the air.

Spring is coming

 

[Amalia]

I hate the cold, the ice and the very long nights. I sometimes feel like I don't have time to do anything since the day is so short. It's depressing, I can't wait for the spring to come and nature come back to life!

 

[Kansas Terri]

The weatherman says that it will be zero degrees Fahrenheit next week (-18 Celsius): I find this hard to believe because the grass is still green and there are still a few leaves on the trees, but he is very probably correct. That is very cold for December! Usually we do not get that cold until January or February!

God bless the weathermen: this time I listened to the weather forecast and so I will have time to get ready!

The winter solstice is only three-odd weeks away, and then the days will get blessedly longer!

 

[Amalia]

Oh, I can't wait, I take the winter solstice as the first sign of spring ) In Romania the temperatures are around 0-6 degrees Celsius right now. It didn't freeze yes and they announced another few days of high temperatures. I just hope that at least we'll have snow for Christmas which is the good side of winter.