Do you see those little buds? Suddenly, there are morning glory buds everywhere, quite late in the season. I’m sure you will understand when I say I’d like to see them open up and bless us with their beauty.
But…Sunday night the temps are supposed to drop into the twenties. Just for one night. Then it’s back to normal. I’m in a little bit of a panic. The porch plants I can bring inside. The zinnias and morning glories? No can do. I’m already making plans to cover everything with a sheet and hope against hope they hang in there.
Otherwise, I’ll be in mourning.
It seems especially cruel when there’s a hard freeze for just one night; it’s like a tease, but not a good one. I know winter is inevitable, but since the remainder of the nighttime temps are going to stay in the forties or high thirties for a while, it seems a shame not to see my flowers bloom.
Dad is still in a rather cheery mood. Meredith and I suspect that some of that is due to the pain meds he’s on. They’re mellowing him. As my dad can be rather irascible, to put it mildly, I must say it’s nice to hear him sound so happy. He calls me to tell me what he ate for breakfast and lunch. He details his conversations with the nurses. He talks about physical therapy. My dad, by the way, is pretty strong for a 92 year old, so I have no doubt that he’ll do well in PT. Tomorrow, they’ll assess his progress and decide whether he goes home or to a rehab facility. I’m thinking it will be rehab, but maybe not for as long as predicted.
Don’t you want to see this flower open? I do. A pox on any hard freezes!
Don and Dan will be on The Front Burner radio show on WIOX on Saturday morning. They’ll be playing their music and talking about the new CD from 11 am to 12 pm. The show is hosted by our friends Elly and Dave (who will also be at the CD Release Party later on Saturday.) If you’re at all interested in giving it a listen, WIOX, which is a Public Radio station, streams live. You can find it here. Don’s going to be on another radio show next Thursday evening and I’ll share what I know about that later in the week.
If you have any wise tips as to covering plants during a freeze, I’m all ears – or eyes, in this case. The morning glories and zinnias are right up against and on top of a stretch of the chicken wire fence. Thanks, everyone!
Happy Friday.
A pox on a hard freeze! I see so much still waiting to bloom I hope you can cover them and keep them going. Your Dad sounds like such a character and I’m glad he is doing so well. My Mom is feeling better finally and Sunday is her 85th birthday! So we will be going out for a nice dinner this weekend. The sun is out today and I’m snuggled with Charlie but I need to do some errands later and write a blog post. I’ve been so lazy with the blog and need to get back into posting again!
hugs,
Linda
A ‘character’ is sort of a way to describe him…’maddening’ might be another!
Happy Birthday to your mom, Linda! I hope she has a lovely day on Sunday.
I will glom onto your pox upon the freeze. Ours is for 2 nights and then back to the mid 60’s next week. I, too, am going to attempt to throw a sheet over the MG’s. They are growing along a fence. At least I will try. If there were bad temps for then next 7-10 days I wouldn’t do it, but the 60’s for the next many days makes me think it is worth it. Also going to do the same w/ the 2 large planters outside of the front door. All of the rest of the pots have been either brought in to winter-over, or dumped and cleaned out. It just takes a minute to throw a sheet, and if it gives us a week or 2 more of flowers…………. I’m in!!!!! And I do have to admit that it has been a lovely Fall, especially with such a late date for our first freeze!!
Sounds like the meds are working for your Dad. He sounds like he has some peace in his days, and is delighting in the goings on around him… and then sharing his days with you and Meredith! I hope the days continue to go well for all of you.
I’m currently going around the house scavenging for sheets. I so hope it works.
Dad is completely out of it today – it’s the opposite of how he sounded yesterday. That makes me worried.
Here in Fl when a freeze is predicted we wrap a string of tiny Christmas lights around the pump that runs our water well & keep them on till the freeze ends. Perhaps you could run some lights around the plants & then cover them somehow to keep the heat in. You never know it might work.
Too far from an electrical outlet, Janie – but it’s a near idea! Thank you.
…What Chris said!! I just found three blooms on my clematis!! It hasn’t bloomed all summer….and now…why? I might throw a sheet on it as well…don’t know if it will work or not, but certainly worth a try! I have old comforters to put on…but would need an elaborate brace, so as not to crush the plants I am so desperately trying to save. Wish us luck! ;)
Yes, and the hollyhock is still blooming! What the heck am I going to do???
no plant advice from me. i have a hard time maintaining philodendrons … and not just because i have mostly north-facing windows. good luck with your plants.
and with don’s cd party. how exciting! makes me happy to hear when people’s hard work is recognized, pays off and dreams come true! enjoy!
scritches (hugs) to your sweet scout.
kathy
They’re leaving this afternoon for a gig in Massachusetts and will be back later tonight. Tomorrow, the radio show and the party, then, on Sunday, back to Massachusetts. An exciting weekend for the guys!
and most of all, glad to hear your father is better, has peace and some fun. hope that makes it easier for you and your sister.
prayers for you all …
kathy
Well, unfortunately, today he is really out of it. I don’t know why there’s such a difference from yesterday to today unless it’s the meds.
I went and picked a huge bouquet for my DIL, then one for me that I gave to a neighbor, and I’ll probably pick more today….hydrangea, zinnias, dahlias etc as the same thing is to happen here in PA. Covering during a frost usually works but my forecast looks like 2 nights of hard freezing…in the mid-2o’s so I think that’s going to be about it around here. I have some flowers in a wagon, in a few pots….covering those might work but the ground ones will have seen the last of it this year
Oh, darn it! I’m sorry. I’ll have to check, my forecast, but I think it’s just for one night here. That may have changed, though. Good luck, Deb!
Claudia, my Dad got all his gardening acumen from HIS dad, my grandfather – who was a self-taught master gardener, and I know they both used to water the ground around plantings when expecting a frost possibility. I googled this and maybe they knew what they were doing because apparently – wet ground holds more heat than dry ground. Who knew? The Google blurb I saw also said to do the watering a day or two before the frost is expected and at dusk or a little earlier so the water can hold in as much of that day’s warm sunshine as possible. Good luck! ?
Now I see it’s going to be for two nights – Saturday and Sunday – I’ll follow your advice. Fingers crossed!
Hope you can save a couple of weeks worth of followers, Claudia. Like Janet in Rochester, I also read that watering the ground helps. There are very very few hard freeze nights where I live, so I have no direct experience.
Hope your Dad continues to improve. A rehab center is probably a better alternative to going directly home, as it can be a good transition. There will still be people to look after his medical needs, especially if there are some ups and downs in personality, which may be due to meds, until he stabilizes.
Of course, I meant FLOWERS, not “followers”, as you already know how to keep followers…LOL…
xo
He’s very out of it today, but he was given something to help him sleep in the middle of the night, so that may be part of it. Poor guy.
I am glad your Dad is a little better. It is kind of funny when people act out of character on medication. My Dad got all lovey which as you know wasn’t his usual.
Let me know if I can help. I can go over if he needs me to.
Thanks, Kay. He’s being transferred to the rehab facility Mom was in – sometime this morning.
It is cold, rainy and windy here…I have had enough of it already…Oh why don’t I have relatives that live in the South…lol..I hope Dad’s doing better again tomorrow..
Two nights of freeze warnings here! Not at all good.
so glad your Dad is some better. Hope he continues to improve day by day. You still have some pretty flowers. Most of mine are gone.
have a great weekend.
Love,
Judy
Thank you, dear Judy!