esh,
can things just be covered over is the temps in our area will drop below 40 if only for a few hours? I would hate to lose stuff, but I also would hate to bring it all in, IF covering would be sufficient.

If your area is not dropping to 32 degrees, I'd say there's a good chance you can get away with covering. However, this night-time cold spell looks to last for several days.

What kinds of stuff are you talking about?

Green peppers, basil, tom's, okra, eggplant, that is what is in my garden. Then I have ferns and some other tropicals *plumeria, mandevilla's, pineapple, citrus, begonias, hibiscus, on my patio/deck.

Eggplant, peppers, basil and okra are quite touchy about temps. Tropicals will be fried. Don't monkey with the tropicals lower than 45 degrees. Generally, they don't like it much lower.