Tuesday, December 16, 2008

December Bloom Day

Wow, there went December Bloom Day already! Did that seem fast to anyone else? Ah well, I'm only one day late so that's better than last month. :) I actually had 4 blooms, too! These two on my lipstick vine, 'Mona Lisa' (actually not the bloom, but close enough for me)........fuzzy and cute.......the other two blooms are on my begonia (still!). This time of year I should have some blooms (or at least buds) on my Christmas cacti also, but so far nothing. So this......and this are all I get thus far. I didn't even buy a poinsettia this year, though the one from last year is alive but not re-blooming. If you want to see how that's done, check this out!
Looks plenty "Christmas-y" outside...nice snow drift on the garage, eh? Well things started to change over the weekend....

...our temps shot up for a couple days, and the snow got smushy...



....and melty!
In fact, I can almost see some of my plants again. So I decided to play outside awhile...

...did some shoveling, now that the snow is extra wet and heavy :) ....

....toss some onto the plants next to the foundation...

....wow, it's so warm that the sap is running on this pine-and bubbling!

Nice lichens cover the bark. Chuck covered these in an excellent fungus post here .


Add some goodies to the composter, even though it'll just sit until temps go up in the spring...


...hey! Looks like woodpeckers are drilling in the side of my house again. I could have caulked these over since it was fairly warm, but I'll just wait until spring. You see, this warm trend is a nice break from our early snowfall...


...but things were due to change drastically Sunday night into Monday...

...when winter's chill returns with a vengence! Temps for Bloom Day were -6, with wind chills to -21!

The wild birds apparently knew this was coming, because Sunday the feeders had heavy avian traffic (which the kitties noticed, as you can see).
And the clearing skies brought in the frigid temps. Winter's back to stay!

Happy Bloom Day! For more Bloom Day fun (including warmer climates with more action), visit our Bloom Day founder, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

12 comments:

Horselip's Horse Sense said...

Great entry. Sorry you don't have all the blooms you wish you did but your winter pix were really cool. That one of what looks like a yucca in the snow was really great. I kinda miss the snow but just to visit, not to live in.

lisa said...

Thank you! I hope that yucca doesn't mind the snow too much, it's supposed to be hardy here, but this is the first winter so I'm kinda nervous. Heh, you feel the same way about snow that I feel about hot climates! :)

chuck b. said...

"-6, with wind chills to -21"

Yeah, that's kinda mind-bending.

I guess the woodpeckers have an easier time pecking on your house than all the frozen trees around your house?

troutbirder said...

-35 wind chills here in Bluff Country after +35F the day before. Yikes!!! What with the woodpeckers? Are their ants or something or maybe they are just bored?

lisa said...

Chuck-Good thing I like the cold, eh? Woodpeckers are funny: sometimes in the spring, they used to tap on the roof of my mom's metal pole barn, presumably for communication. The ones that drill on my house may be after Death Watch Beetle larvae that they hear, or perhaps Old House Borer beetle larvae. They can remain in the wood for 10 years!

Troutbirder-Your weather was psycho like ours. See the above comment about the woodpeckers.

Unknown said...

At least you had some real blooms to share for bloom day. I just blathered on about my misadventures on the ice rink I like to call my driveway.

Carol Michel said...

Wow, only one day late is darn good for you, Lisa! Thanks for joining us and sharing your indoor blooms and all that snow!

Carol, May Dreams Gardens

lisa said...

Cinj-Yea, blooms are sparse in our neck of the woods these days, eh? I may buy a plant so I can have some for next month too! :)

Carol-Thank you for hosting!

Rurality said...

That bubbly pine sap is kinda freaky!

Love the cozy kitties pic!

lisa said...

Karen-I thought the sap was weird too...I'd seen it running plenty of times, but never bubbling! These two cats are the best "power loungers" I've ever seen, which is why I felt they could give that "Chillax tutorial" with authority! ;-)

Anonymous said...

The images you seem to always catch are so beautiful, and the one of the cats is so sweet! You have such a great eye for detail!

The setting sun looks like a Christmas card - wow!

lisa said...

Thank you Joey!