Yesterday i was really worried I was going to lose him. All day he layed lifeless; wherever I put him, he collapsed. Even picking him up was like picking up a wet raggedy ann doll. He never closed his eyes, just stared into mine looking extemely sad. So, I scheduled another vet appointment for this morning. I cradled and held him all day...well past midnite. Then we went to bed...him beside me, under my arm. At some point he got up and went downstairs. This morning he was waiting for me to pick him up and he kissed and snuggled me with wild abandon! I would say he is feeling better! He ate and drank this morning and I saw him in the litter box...yay! Thank you all for your kind words, prayers and encouragement...keeping a close eye on my buddy. (because the vet stresses him so much, I am pushing it off for a couple days, but still need a following urinalysis) ...one very happy (and tired) girl!

Citrus groves are sprayed with water and covered in ice to protect against freeze damage. Counter\-intuitively forming ice creates heat. Also a layer of ice will help prevent quick thawing when the sun hits the citrus. A quick change will burst cells (such as scalding on some tree bark). Droplets on plants is another story and this will cause leaf damage. It does help to cover plants. Doing so will trap some heat from the ground and it will keep dew off that might freeze and cause damage. Ice crystals generate around any contamination in any surface water drops form crystals. Even bacteria will cause nucleation. Sick plants freeze more readily. Anything you do to keep off droplets / dew and insulate to conserve soil heat will help. Wind machines can help......they would, but I'm kidding. Tonight's low is predicted to be 17 tonight, but the 8 inches of snow we got yesterday will protect the pips which are just starting to show. But I think the daffodils are goners.....for this year. Jon

I just realized reading this that it described a former close friend of mine. She walked under a black cloud, always doom and gloom conversations, but she had very few friends so I hung in there. Plus, she had her moments (few) of being joyful. I had a weekly standing dinner date with her at my house (never saw the inside of hers, despite a decade-long friendship.) She was in a dark place and she seemed to like coming to my home (and unloading). It would always be just the two of us. But she cancelled on every other thing--including my wedding! I kept trying to keep the door open, but she kept slipping further away until I couldn't remember our last dinner. It wasn't anything I had done, she had a track record of doing this to others as well. I definitely think depression played a role, and she has a medical background. Every so often I'll reach out to her to see how she and her kids are doing. The answers are perfunctory. I will always keep the door open to her, (and she knows it,) but I don't expect a knock anytime soon. I think I'll write to her today. eta:I emailed her 10 hours ago. Just a friendly “miss you, hope to hear from you…” And got crickets. Neither surprised nor upset. It was worth a try.

Good morning, Sue, I always enjoy photos of your garden. You do a great job with placement. And I like that building in the background. Is that something you had built and is it a shed or intended for something else? It's attractive. All your bulbs are looking great. I need to try to add Anemone and every spring I vow to add more bulbs and then something comes up to prevent me from taking the time to install them, so I don't order them. Maybe I should start saying in the spring that I'm not going to add more bulbs in the fall. [g] Maybe that will work. If the wind is becoming routine and at your elevation is especially becoming a problem so you don't enjoy working out there in early spring, maybe you can change the way you work. And your garden plan a little. With the wind in mind, perhaps you can plan a windbreak somewhere and a sitting area or work area shielded by it. And clean up the garden more in the fall than the spring. Your garden is pretty so sitting enjoying the garden out of the wind might be something to look forward to in spring. Or a work area where you can start to put all your pots together for the season. As for climate change, I do blame all of our weather changes on that. And I agree, I'm expecting the weather is going to get warm too fast again this year. I was just thinking the other day of reminding my husband to get the a/c in the windows soon, when really I don't normally think about that until the end of May. But, I think what we all need to do is adapt as best we can. I'm grateful our part of the country seems to have it better than so many other places in the country. All the areas that are putting up with brush fires and worse heat, etc. It appears that little is being done to reverse climate change, so eventually we may have it worse than we do now. So, I'm trying to enjoy every minute of what seasonal weather we have now and try to make it work for me. When I buy more daffodil bulbs I'm going to be buying late blooming bulbs. And if we are going to keep having early heat, then I am increasing my planting of roses that enjoy the heat. I'm trying to notice what is responding well to changes in the weather and what is struggling and do more of what works. I know that doesn't amount to much, and really it's more up to nature to adapt and for us to observe and work with that.