Snow White...Pear Blossoms!

   For the past month, we have had just about every "false" spring that could be dumped on a place.  We have even had a few "false" summer days added for good measure.  Now, however, Mother Nature has said "Enough of that!" and plans for us to have a winter weekend.  This is not good!  All of the citrus trees already have tiny fruits set and the pear and plum trees are in full bloom!  What are you thinking, Mother Nature??  I guess tomorrow will find me lugging those potted house plants back into the greenhouse and finding enough things to make temporary covers for the tomato, squash and pepper plants in the garden.  Yep, I did do that.  I planted far too early but the temperatures being in the 80s convinced me that our cold times were over.  Not so.

  So...winter is not over until Mother Nature makes up her mind and there is not a thing we can do about it other than accept it.  Mom always warned Pop about planting too early..."You know we are going to get that Easter freeze..." I can hear her now reprimanding me for the same thing.  I am far too like Pop and the older I get, the more that is evident.   Easter freeze???  Does that mean that this is not our last cold spell for the season?  Easter is still weeks away!

Endings and Beginnings

   The day started out cloudy, cool and with high humidity.  Any normal person would have most likely snuggled deeper under the blankets and said "Let things take care of themselves for a while."  Not me.  As soon as the sun started peeping over the pines on the far side of the Bayou, I headed to the citrus trees to see if any could be salvaged after that spell of cold last month.  Our plants, like us, down here in the Deep South are not accustomed to days on end of freezing temperatures.  The trees look bad.  So...I started clearing the dead branches in hopes of salvaging what I can.

  One thing about the cold is that it makes even evergreens like citrus lose their leaves.  That loss uncovers a lot of things.  While working on the trees, I made careful note of any "keepers" and let the branch stay.  Keepers being egg cases of beneficial critters. There are both endings and beginnings to be found here. One lemon tree had several nice praying mantis egg cases.  The cases were still firm and showed no signs of damage so I was careful to leave each one.  Hopefully, the cold did not bother the eggs and hopefully no other critter will come along and raid the case.  I can use as many of these as will hatch.  They are indeed friends of the garden.

  Like I said, the citrus trees look bad but perhaps not all is lost.  Some still have "green" closer to the main stalk.  Our crop may be pitiful this next fall but that is to be understood.  It does make me glad that I froze gallons of the juice and made marmalade and jelly with the rest of the fruit.  We will have plenty to keep us happy until the trees recuperate.  Now if we can get through the next several months without a repeat performance by Mother Nature.  I love winter but not when it dips down cold enough for long enough to damage the trees.  For now, I will happily trim the trees and guard the egg cases of the garden friends.

Gus Needs An Umbrella!

   Son and I were making light of all the fog that has shrouded the Bayou since around the start of December.  He made the comment that while others wish for a white Christmas, we are pretty much guaranteed one...only not snow...fog.  White out fog is the winter rule around here.  Trees stay drippy,  floors stay sticky and my hair seems to always be limp and lifeless.  While the views of my hikes are blurry, I, at least, have the ability to "walk softly" on the molding leaves.  Critters cannot hear me or either they are so fed up with the weather that they just do not care if something else is on the prowl.  We are one...the bayou critters and I.

  Early morning was a bust on the pier as the planks were iced over making it a mite treacherous to make an attempt at getting to the end.  I had to be satisfied with staying on the shore end for fear of slipping into the icy mud where I would become mired for sure.  It was not until the frost melted that the pier was walkable.  Along about 8am, I ventured out once again.  It was then that I found Old Gus, the brown pelican.  Poor old fellow was trying to dry out his wings.  It was a pointless task with the heavy fog drenching his feathers as fast as any drip drying could be taking place.  It was not hard to imagine just how cold the pelican must have been with wet feathers and spread wide wings.  Critters have it rough.  I could always make a dash back to the Little Bayou House.  Which is exactly what I did and, along the way, I grabbed another armload of firewood to stoke the old wood-burning stove.  

Poor, Sad Flowers

  Fall was here!  Fall came.  Fall went.  Winter pushed it away.  That is ok.  I am good with winter but I do not like the idea of Old Man Winter killing my plants!  He just has no right to do that, if you ask me.  Actually, I was tickled to see that my struggling marigolds took off into a wild growth spurt in October.  The gardens look at least somewhat presentable for the clue hunt teams that trotted themselves about the yard.  Each plant shot out dozens and dozens of blossoms giving that perfect "Halloween" orange to brighten the otherwise drab garden.  Splotches of orange dotted not only the gardens but wherever the seeds decided to grow.  It made me happy.  Then winter happened in just one night.  ONE NIGHT!!!

 Now the pretty blossoms have bowed their heads and look dismal.  The marigolds, along with my once thriving bell peppers, are wilted and dying.  I knew this was inevitable but had high hopes that fall would be prolonged into more than a week!  Oh, fall, where did you go?  

  Nah, I am ok with it.  The gardens will be cleared and readied for a winter garden.   I was just pondering the planting of broccoli, cabbage and mustard greens.  I suppose this plan will be put into effect a lot sooner than I had expected.  Oh, well...broccoli is good...cabbage and mustard greens...good.  So long peppers and marigolds!

Maybe Too Soon

  One of the first signs of spring in the Deep South is the blooming of the azaleas.  These bushes will be covered with the hot pink, pale pink, white or red flowers as soon as the temperatures warm the least bit.  Most lanes, driveways and fences are lined with the shrubs on longtime estates.  Azaleas are the epitome of the beauty of the place and are the harbingers of springtime.

  This year, at least on the Bayou, the azaleas have few blooms even though it has been warm for some time.  And it is a good thing.  For the next few nights, we are to have freezing temperatures.  The tight-closed buds should fare out well but the few open blooms will suffer.  By morning, the flowers will be droopy and sad looking.  Then, after this three day cool spell, the temperatures will warm again and the azaleas will show their true colors!

  Usually, the bridalwreath shrub blooms at the same time as the azaleas but, while the azaleas are late, the bridalwreath flowered early.  The tiny rose-shaped flowers burst open a week ago making the front yard glorious!  These clustering flowers that are on long draping branches were at one time used during weddings (hence the name).  The long, willowy branches were often twisted into tiaras for the bride and her maids to wear in their hair.  They were also roped into garlands to decorate the church for weddings.  The snow-white blooms are quite showy and provided beautiful, yet cost free decorating.  My shrub is from a cutting from the old farm.  It has been through so much with a fire, hurricanes and droughts but keeps surprising me with beauty year after year.

  Although this cold spell will put a damper on the blooming shrubs, I say it is not long enough nor cold enough.  I yearn for a good cold winter since it has been years since we have had one.  While others wish for spring, I would love for some winter.  The plants, however, really want no part of this!