We've been talking about the temps being off for about a month now. Today our high is 52 and tomorrow night we're suppose to have a wind chill of -5 and a low of 11. We don't have anything in the yard blooming though, although some of the roses still have green leaves on them.

Yes, yo-yoing here too. A couple of days of 50's and then back down to the teens, back up to 40's and back down.
Rain showers if temps are up and when down, sleet and snow flurries/lake effect but no major snowfall so far. If we've accumulated an inch, we are lucky. Seems the heaviest snows are continuing to fall north of us. I had to laugh when I saw Washington DC getting snow and we had a mild day.

Suppose to have flurries the next couple of days.

Julia

I've still got two WHEEL OF TIME scapes and one MALAYSIAN MARKETPLACE scape. I think they've been growing extra slowly, so who knows what they'll look like when (if) they bloom. Also, NEW PARADIGM started a scape. NEW PARADIGM is pretty rusty too, since I haven't been treating anything since summer.

Nate

Same kind of weather here, too kay. warm for a couple days, then freezing again for a few days and rain and more rain.I dont have nothing blooming here.my last bloom was PANDORA'S TREASURE on december 30th.There was about 6 more bud on it to open, but along came a hard freeze and away went the buds.I am ready for it to stay warm and stop raining for a week.

Jean

It sure has been a strange winter. We are finally getting a measurable snowstorm today and it will be followed by very cold temperatures which is typical of January. Usually at this time we have had several snowstorms, but until today it's been pretty quiet. It seemed at first like we were going to have lots of snow when we had a NorEaster on Halloween, followed by more snowfall on Thanksgiving. We barely squeezed out some snowfall on Christmas Eve which quickly melted. I actually prefer that it snows because it insulates my plants and also because my husband's business relies on the snow for revenue. Lots of people up here were just fine with the moderate temperatures and lack of snow but I worried about my roses and daylilies when the temps dipped into the single digits and there was no snow cover. Glad it's finally snowing!!

Celeste

No snow here, thank goodness, but Gollyyyyyyyyyyyyy its cold.Dont like this cold either.This old house has too many cracks and hard to keep it warm.

Jean

Good thing you are not in this old house, Jean! Lol! Forecasters say old man winter is finally going to hit the great white (brown this year) north big time. -29C for a daytime high next week! That is -20.2F and that is COLD!
With basically no snow! Making lots of soup, lots of blankets for my plants, and lots of suet for my feather dusters. Bunnies get extra oats too!

Ginny

Our weather has been up and down too. A couple of days ago it was warm enough for t-shirts and flip-flops. Something tells me we'll get our share come late February and early March.

I'm not sure if it's the weather or if these have been doing this each year, but this is the first time I've noticed my ditch lilies already popping up. Went to remove some leaves from a bed and found little green things popping up all over. I knew I hadn't planted bulbs there, so it was a bit of a surprise! Now I'm wondering if it would be a good time to relocate them since I need to dig the area up... apparently I didn't get all the invasive liriope that had taken over. Tomorrow I will check the hybrid daylilies and see if they're peeking through yet. Unfortunately, I haven't seen the first of my daffodils or tulips. I hope the ground is cool enough!

Well, we are having another cold snap (tiny...no more than 3 days) and then it will warm up again. I am glad that I am not the only one, but wish all our weather would normalize. I did put an upside down flowerpot over a scape on New Paradigm. I don't expect it to bloom, but decided not to risk it. I need to work in the yard and in the greenhouse too. Maybe this week I can.

Keep warm, and dream of spring.
kay

kay. thats all I have done for weeks now is dream of spring, Daydream that is. Go to bed at night and I can not sleep, Tha brain just keeps going and going, thinking about what I would like to do, come spring.Finally go to sleep about 7am and sleep a couple hours, then qwake again.I get this way, every once in a while and it lasts about a week, then its gone and I can sleep again normally.
GInny,maybe we both have about the same kind of house. termites got in this one a few years ago, and one outside wall is not in good shape no more,and neither is my front wall. I have cinder blocks across, under a big picture window to help hold it up and hoping it dont fall out,.I am in trouble if it does.

Jean

No termites here Jean but you'd better start praying that the ones in your place don't stop holding hands!

Getting colder here. High of -19C in the morning! Got about 2 inches of snow today. Oh it is white out there! :)

Ginny

Jean,
It would be nice to wake up to spring, wouldn't it. It was high 20s last night, and will be mid 50s this afternoon. I plan to work for an hour or so.

Ginny,
I suppose you won't be working in thee yard, huh? snow and -19! wow! A nice cup of hot chocolate, a warm fire and a good book...or a nice catalog. That is what I recommend for you.
I have so much I need to do that I didn't do last month. I have been involved in a lot of house cleaning and de-cluttering. Retirement haven't been restful, but I am still really enjoying it.
kay

How about a little snow so you won't feel bad about the chill your getting. You could be having this.... LOL

{{gwi:648236}}

Julia

Oh, same crazy weather here too!! But with every cold snap, we got a nice blanket of snow, which is a good thing. The daffs are up pretty high, but just foliage, and they most often do that every winter, just seems to be more of them poking up to see what is going on!! Jean, I lose sleep too!!! thinking about what I want to do come spring, I started to make a list and that helped!!
here are those crazy daffs poking their foliage up.
{{gwi:648237}}
and a shot of today's snow, which will be gone in a few days
{{gwi:648239}}

Cindy

Well, I knew we couldn't escape winter up here. -20C right now but with the windchill it is -30C! No more snow .....yet.....and the little birds look twice as big with their feathers all puffed out. Filled the feeders twice today as they really need that seed to keep warm.....poor little things.

No yard work,Kay.Haha. Been snuggled up to my flannel blankies as I sew them all day. Soup's on and the snow dogs are even in the house. We will see spring maybe sometime in May now! Oh well, I still have lots of inside work to do. Clearing out this old house to prepare for sale.

As odd as it sounds, I am glad it has snowed and don't mind the cold if I don't have to go out. I think it has cheered me up somewhat from the drab brown "wishy washy" season we have been experiencing. This is what I expect in January in northern Alberta! The snow is pretty. Thanks for posting your snow pics Julia and Cindy. I was starting to have snow withdrawl!

Wherever you are, I hope you are warm and healthy. Spring will be here soon enough. :)

Namaste

Ginny

Your snow shots are beautiful, Julia and Cindy. We rarely get snow here, so I envy it.

Our weather took another spin of the yoyo, and I spent three hours outside doing work that should have been done in late fall. It actually felt like spring, with the sun out and the temps in the high 50s. Supposed to go low again this week, but I truly enjoyed today.

Ginny, what kind of blankets are you stitching?
kay

Kay ~ I make my own creations called Kreecher Komforters. They started off as kennel blankets for my dog show friends and my own dogs and have now become a bit of an art work for me. They are flannel patchwork and solid pet quilts for their sleeping places, furniture covers, floor mats, and even sleeping bags to curl up in. I have made critter cuddlers, pet beds, komforters, tunnels, grain bags, "kid" covers for newborn lambs and goats, ear muffs for calves, heating pad covers, and even doggy longjohns for arthritic patients. Washable and absorbant, I make them as donations to the vet clinics, Humane societies , wildlife rehab, rescue groups,and fundraisers and for anyone who wants to purchase one. I also personalize them. I do other quilts as well but these are my way of playing with color (as they are smaller) when I am not in the garden growing a patchwork of flowers. And I can try out different patterns and color combos! Kreecher Komforters made especially for ____ by Virginia. :)
{{gwi:520541}}

-24C now with windchil -32C. Brrrrr! Almost ready to put the pups to bed and crawl in under my down duvet!

Ginny Garden

goodness, Ginny, They are so pretty. you sure do a excellant job of making them doggy blankets and quits, what ever that one is called. its very nice and pretty. I walked to school in -20 when I was a kid in illinois, but no way could I handle that much cold now. It was 61 here today and suppose to go to 71 tomorrow with showers and storms.Then cold for another day and night,and then warmer again.Ginny are you in ALASKA OR CANADA.?stay warm/

Jean

I'm in Canada Jean. Lol! Still cold! -25 now with windchill -34! The school I went to as a kid is about 5 blocks from here and we got to take our lunch if it was -20F or colder. Right now, on the Farenheit scale it is -11 with the windchill taking it to -31!

I love making the Komforters. That one is b/w checked with the paw print patchwork on the other side. It was an order from a friend of mine for her other friend. Buddy is her dog. Lab and healer I think. You know, I rarely take pictures of my blankets unless they are under my dogs!

Got lots of soup and lots of fleece fabric so we will stay warm. :)

Ginny

Ginny,
That one is precious. We have three chihuahuas and they wear their sweaters and have warm beds, but ours is the warm bed two of them sleep in.

The oldest one, Spike, likes to be covered up if there is any chill in the air so I know your blankets are very popular.

Canada huh! No wonder it is so very cold. -25 and wind chill of -34 is cold! We have a friend originally from Minnesota who have lived here for about 15 years. He had lunch with us Saturday and talked about how he is no longer acclimated to the cold. He used to not ever feel cold here, but now, he is as wimpy as a native southerner.

Jean, it is crazy weather, isn't it?
kay

Yes. kay. This weather is really crazy this year, but, its like this every winter here, almost. We had one winter back in the mid 60's that was very cold and had lots of snow and ice that year.Then about 6 years ago, we had ice storms twice in december. lost power for a week or more.very cold that year, too.the year is passing quick,I think. already mid january and in another month can prune the roses back and get them ready for their spring show of blooms.Spring is my favorite month, but I also dread it too,because of all the severe storms that come along almost every week.oh well, part of life.

Jean

Them snow photo's are very pretty.Snow is very pretty when everything is covered in white, bbut I am glad it dont snow here every year.Its pretty some where else to me.going down to freezeing again tonight and cold tomorrow, then warming back up again with rain again.

Jean

Our weather has been fluctuating a lot here too, I have daffs in bud & hellebores are blooming. Cold today, but warming back to the 50s or so starting tomorrow. With rain, of course. Heavy storms hit all around us yesterday, but not much damage here. They are still trying to decide if there were tornados or just heavy winds that did damage. I guess that is to be expected with such warm temps in winter. Yesterday before the cold front, it was very windy, but so very warm.

Hey, great pictures everyone. I have had years were the daffodil folliage is coming up green thru the snow or been covered by the snow also. But way, way too early for that this year. Crazy winter here, no snow at all only lots of rain knock on wood. I don't mind a bit. I would much rather have the rain as I just hate the snow. Needless to say, nothing is blooming here but the vivid red berries of the winterberry hollies do look really nice when I look out the home office window. Some years those berries are eaten up early by the birds but not yet this year. There are plenty left because the winter has been mostly mild with some brief cold spells here and there.

We can kiss the snow goodbye after yesterdays all day rainfest in the 40's. Last night the winds were so loud and strong and now we are dipping back down again. Having on and off snow flurries today. Poor plants have nothing to hide under as the snow is mostly gone.

Julia

Well, here we are in the deep, deep freeze. No more snow as yet but what we have is staying for a while for sure! It was -34C this morning with the w/c of -48. That is pretty cold I'll tell ya! Feeding the birdies 3 times a day to help them keep warm. Oats and straw for the city bunnies. They look forward to food they don't have to "find". DH has thawed the food for the big birds twice already today and just went out for a third time. I feed them catfood and bread and just about anything they will eat. Gonna start making little sweaters for them!

Kay, I have at least 2 dogs in bed with me every night and I get about 2 inches of space to sleep on! I don't mind it these days as most nights have been 3 dog nights! I do have to share tho and my husband gets 2 of them! And even they like to curl up under the covers lately!

NOTHING growing here except the cold! :)

Ginny

Well my purple tulips are pushing up and the silly things (as usual really) are opening as they break ground...then the stem grows taller with a bloom. January is a bit early, but what can you do. I spent about 45 minutes in the yard, but it was too cool. After it warms up, it should be in the mid to high 50s tomorrow, so I will try to get a couple hours in with weeding and removing leaves. The weeds are definitely breaking ground. Rita, I wish you had this stupid clover thaat is popping up everywhere.
kay

Oh no. It doesn't sound like I would want another weed for the garden. The only reason my garden is not over run with weeds is that it is so heavily mulched. So that keeps the weeds away and that is why I do the mulching.

Yesterday I was looking at my Tower Square Garden here in the side yard and I see lots of leaves have blown into it from all those windy days we had been having. I am going to have to pick out all those leaves on a warmer day as I don't want them to stay there amoung the Tall Bearded Iris.

Hi Rita, I don't know if it would work for you, but using the leaf blower in my flower beds works great for me. I do back up more than I do on the driveway so as not to blow the mulch. I used to spend hours getting the leaves out and now it usually just takes an hour. I only do this in my front beds once it begins to warm up. But, since we've only had 2 cold spells this year, I could probably go ahead but, I think I'll wait atleast a few more weeks. Only wish I could find an easy way to dig, pull, hack the darn Burmuda grass out of the beds. I'd probably get rich!!

I'm the same Mona that's on All Things Plants.

Blessings to all, Mona

well,I just give up for now. this is 4th time I have put a reply and when I submit it, I get a pop up sasying internet exployer has quit working, and I have done it all for nothing.

I am not sure I have a leaf blower. I know I used to have one but if I still have it I don't know where it is. Fortunately, that Iris garden is not really very big.

wow, it got to 75 here today, will be back to 50 tomorrow, sucj crazy weather/

Jean