Friday, January 14, 2011

The Weather

This is Merrillee, who is trying to stay warm. Why is the weather a favorite topic of conversation? Maybe it is because the weather affects our lives in so many ways. If it is raining, a trip to the beach, the planned picnic or the scheduled tennis match will probably be called off. So we are always checking the weather to see how it will affect our plans.

Recently, the weather has been in the news a lot. In Australia they are having horrendous floods that have taken many lives. Here in the United States the reports of unseasonable tornadoes and big snowstorms, which have canceled many airline flights, have dominated the weather news. Right now there is snow in forty-nine of the fifty states. I happen to live in the only state with no snow, Florida, but that doesn't mean we've been spared some weather woes. The temperatures here in the past few days have been twenty degrees below normal.

The photo below shows the fountain in my yard filled with ice.



The following photos show a number of the plants in my yard that have died above the ground. Hopefully, they will come back from the roots.


Above, you see my poor hydrangea.


This photo shows what is left of my hibiscus.


This is the typical state of the oleanders in my yard.


And finally, these are a few of the potted plants I have dragged inside. These will go back outside at my front door as soon as the night time temperatures are above thirty-five. I have found a place for a few of my tropical plants inside the house until spring comes. However, many of my tropical plants have found a winter time home in my garage this year. I'm ready for hot and humid.

What about you? How has the weather affected you lately?

13 comments:

  1. I'm in the greater Phoenix area, no snow, but we've had some really cold nights. I'm pretty sure I've lost my beloved deep red bougainvillia that splashed against my house. So, I feel your pain but we only had one plant. The rest of the yard is landscaped with toys.

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  2. Here in Kansas our winter has been normal but dry. We finally got some snow and I'm glad.

    I don't like the cold much, but I ventured outside with my dog today and we had a great time playing Frizbee in the snow. What a ham she is when she makes a great catch. I burried the toy and even though she watched me do it, she had a great time digging in all directions to try and uncover it. Right now she's on my new fleece blanket I just put on my bed. Guess her toes are cold.
    Pat

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  3. Pamela,
    My daughter lives near Tucson, and there is snow on the mountains that you see from their back yard. I know it was really nice there when I was there in mid-December--a break from the Florida cold. I don't know whether any of their plants were affected. They get some cold nights even when the days are nice.

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  4. Pat,
    How fun to play with your dog in the snow. When our dog was alive, he was also funny in the snow. He was with us for almost 18 years and lived in two warm places, Atlanta and Dallas, and two cold places, Boston and Chicago. I had a sweater that I put on him for walks when we lived there.

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  5. Portugal here doesn't have that kind of snow/ice Winter but this one has been extremely cold and humid.
    The garden is what suffers most. Can you hear husband groan beside me when I write this? He says he's the one who suffers more with the heat and electricity account LOL.
    I cut my hydrangeas before Winter ruin it and they have leaves - green tiny leaves - but hydrangeas are nice because they can recover from about anything :).
    The most unkept item in my home is the garden because we can't cut the lawn and since we dn't have Winter Winter it doesn't hibernate and grows - slower than on other season - but if you put the machine there now it will pull and ruin everything. I hate this unkept look - I'm so ready for Spring.
    Thank you Merrillee to share your pics.
    Teresa

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  6. At the moment in north coastal Texas the temperature is 60°. However it is wet out because we had a sprinkle of rain earlier. Almost all of the trees have lost their leaves and my yard is covered with pretty yellow, red and orange leaves. And my hybrid tangerine tree still has green leaves on it. I am hoping we can get through the winter without a freeze.

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  7. Teresa,
    Thanks for stopping by. I love hearing about other countries. Thanks for sharing about your winter weather.

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  8. Ellen,
    For those of us who live in semi-tropical area, we always wonder whether the plants that can't tolerate cold will survive. I've considered planting some citrus trees of some kind, but the last couple of years have been so cold that I'm not thinking about it anymore.

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  9. Have been snowed in most of the week! Kids were out of school all week. It's a first (at least for as long as I've known) and probably last for us near Atlanta. The kids were thrilled, of course. :)

    I was just glad to get out of the house a little while Thursday.

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  10. Teresa, I'm so ready for spring, too!

    Ellen, I'm so jealous of that temp! But I heard we may get that warm next week. Of course I've also heard we may get another snow. So I guess I need to check the weather myself. :)

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  11. Missy,
    When we lived in Atlanta, I remember having a foot of snow. By the next day we were playing tennis. We did have one year when there wasn't much snow, but the side roads were very icy and the kids were out of school for nearly a week. The ice would melt during the day but would freeze at night, so the next morning the buses couldn't negotiate the icy roads to pick up the kids.

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  12. That's what's going on here, Merrillee. Back roads just won't clear for the buses.

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  13. Your oleanders will be fine, it is about time in NE Florida to cut them back anyway. The hydrangea may survive; the trick is not to touch it until mid-March! As far as the hibiscus? Well, you may have to kiss that one good-bye, but at least they are not expensive to replace! (Loved the pics, thanks for sharing.)

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