Carol we have Tim Deegan and the two minute Doppler warning!!! LOL who can ask for more? I am looking for a mild winter. I watch the lows in August and if it stays in the 80ies, which it did, we will not be that cold. I still have a tee shirt on and shorts and I am loving this. Paula

I'm loving the weather too! We have a rare Japanese azealea blooming like crazy. It's a pink lavendar one. I'll post a picture when I can. My gardening guru said it will be a colder than normal winter because of La Nina or El Nino. Whichever one we are now under the influence of. Only 2 months to go either way and it will be Spring time!

We are in somewhat of an La Nina pattern supposedly which means cold and stormy elsewhere but mild and dry winter down here.

Here is a link that might be useful: Winter forcast

I vote for the mild and dry winter, but not too dry. :o)

I remember last year right around this time there was a wicked cold snap. Ice all over the place in lake county, even saw ice on shallow shaded ponds in the middle of the day!

Yes, where I am we were already well into the worst freeze of the winter by this time last year--day after day of lows in the 20s. No matter how bad the rest of the winter may get, it's already a better winter than last year.

I've never seen so many acorns and pine cones, ever. And the old-timers will always say it's going to be a rough winter when that happens. But so far, they are wrong and I hope they stay wrong. The last 2 winters here I thought I was going to freeze solid, lost lots of plants including all my orchids (which by the way I will not replace, once lost to cold, never having them again.)So I'm hoping for a mild winter this time around, thank you.

Well, last year was so very cold for extended periods, I kept piling my orchids into laundry baskets and hauling them into the laundry-room...and then dragging them back out a week later, just to repeat over and over again...so I went to Lowes and bought a cheap white plastic shelf-unit and set it up in the front-window, I'm going to feel pretty silly if we don't get that cold-spell that's forecast ! sally

I like the Acu-weather forecast!

I wanna believe. I really, really do. But I have never had acorns like this. I have been filling 13 gallon tubs with them. This is a banner year for acorns.

Funny, because it was a really poor year for acorns in new england. Bad for apples too.

Agreed. In Jax and I've got acorns in my yard and there are no nearby oak trees.

And these pine tree seedings (the propeller ones) are popping up everywhere! Cracks, mulch, rocks, and every potted plant i have, I pull at least one or two out of each week. insane!

Works for me, the tomatoes are sure happy :-) The bugs are also :-(

Very true about the bugs Tom. I've been thinking this is the year of stupid bugs. Moths have been laying full clusters of eggs on plants that are 2 inches tall, a cut worm destroyed one of my peppers and drug it back into the hole with him while leaving the leaves hanging out and aphids are attacking the seedlings as soon as they come up, killing their source of food.

I think last years cold weather followed by this has left some plants and critters confused.