We've had a bit of a thaw since yesterday morning, when I took these pictures. It's 34º F out there right now (1.1º C), which is positively balmy compared to the past few nights. In fact temperatures are supposed to stay mostly above freezing for the foreseeable future.
I took the lamp out of the avocado's shroud, mostly to preserve the bulb in case temperatures get back into the 20's and we need it again. I remember trying to buy a new bulb for a lava light years ago and having a terrible time finding one, so I want to make it last! As it gets a bit warmer I might even take the shroud off for a while to give the poor tree some light and air.
I didn't leave the house yesterday. I did a few things here and there housekeeping-wise, but otherwise just read and noodled around online. I finally started "The Bee Sting" and polished off 125 pages. I'm really liking it so far! The plot has grabbed me and I'm very eager to see how the story is going to spin out.
Otherwise, not much news. I'm just glad we're (slightly) warmer.
A beautiful frosted rose
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised it didn't look more wilted or frost-bitten. Maybe it was still too frozen.
DeleteI had never come across the term "noodle around" before so I had to google it... "No one knows where the term “noodling” originated, but many speculate it could be that a giant, squirmy catfish is like a wet noodle, or because noodlers sometimes wiggle their fingers — like wet spaghetti — in front of a catfish's face to lure them." So now I know.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure that's the same kind of noodling! LOL!
DeleteNOODLE (v): to improvise on an instrument in an informal or desultory manner
(From Merriam-Webster)
I love that frosty rose. Glad you have a thaw.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a relief!
DeleteThe frosty flower is a beautiful picture.
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
DeleteThose frosty photos are so pretty. It's very cold here, too. We will have a bit of a warm up and then, it is supposed to be even colder next week. Oh well, it is winter! ;)
ReplyDeleteWe're going to be above freezing for the foreseeable future, but some nights, only barely.
DeleteLovely photos! When I went to work in the yard yesterday, I had to empty ice from the garden cart. There were still some very thin sheets of it from where it had frozen the night before.
ReplyDeleteI looked up that novel and now I want to read it.
Our bird bath was frozen solid!
DeleteThey're predicting more frigid air for next week, four nights below freezing two of which are 25 and 22. That will definitely freeze everything to the ground. I'm hoping it will get revised upward. Can't decide if I want to uncover the ponytail for these few warmer days. It is such a pain to cover. Really wonderful photos of the frost rimmed plants.
ReplyDeleteUgh -- 22º is not good news for a gardener.
DeleteGreat pictures today, foliage painted with frost.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI'm surprised that there isn't colder temperatures in London.
ReplyDeleteLondon is very mild given how far north we are, thanks to the Jet Stream.
DeleteLove the thistle head especially!
ReplyDeletePS: Have you read anything by Markus Kuzak? My book-swapping friend has lent me her copy, and I'm enjoying it greatly, although I am not keen on the violent scenes. They read like straight out of a Tarantino film, although the rest of it is not actually Tarantino-ish.
DeleteI have not read Markus Kuzak! I'll keep an eye out for him! Tarantino's violence never bothered me much because it's SO over the top. It's almost like parody.
DeleteWe're getting warmer this week too. I'm trying to not get my hopes up - warmer doesn't mean warm! Ha!
ReplyDeleteEverything is relative!
DeleteIt was 31 degrees here when I started reading your post and I had to stop and run out to my car to get a 12 pack of coke out before it froze. It probably wouldn't have frozen inside the car but I wasn't going to take a chance. We are having a bit of a cold spell but it's supposed to start warming up again tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteYour frosty photos are pretty to look at even though I don't think that frost is very good for the rose.
Wow! That IS cold for Phoenix! I doubt the Coke would have frozen but like you I wouldn't chance it.
DeleteThe Bee Sting sounds like it may be a good read, but I am slightly put off by reviews which mention no punctuation!
ReplyDeleteI am still willing your Avocado to get through the freezing winter unscathed.
It's weird -- the first section of the book had perfectly normal punctuation. Now I'm in a section with no punctuation and I'm wondering why! I hope it becomes clear why he's writing this way because right now it feels a bit gimmicky.
DeleteThe rose with the frost on it is lovely! I need to look up that book...
ReplyDeleteIt's a good book so far! Set in Ireland.
DeleteAs always, wonderful pictures here!
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
DeleteYou manage to find beauty even in the cold. It is 29 here, my feet are cold, and it is windy. In short, I am finding it decidedly unbeautiful. Question: what howls louder than the wind? Answer: me.
ReplyDeleteHa! I consider it a personal challenge to find something photo-worthy every day. :)
Delete(Which doesn't necessarily mean beautiful. Maybe just interesting.)
DeleteYour photos show lots of frosty plants. They do look cold.
ReplyDeleteWhen the first Winter frost hits my outside plants, they go limp and some even turn black. I have to wait for Spring for them to recover fully.
With warmer temps coming to you, what will that do to your frosty plants?
Anything even slightly tender will die back. But some plants, like hellebores, wilt in a freeze and then recover when it warms again. Obviously the teasels won't be bothered -- they're already dead!
DeleteWe're supposed to warm up later this week, too. Today we're getting a cold rain.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
At least it's not snow! :)
DeleteThose leaves with the frosted veins. Oh my. That one is spectacular. Glad the avocado is getting a bit of a break. Right now I'm trying to rescue a few geraniums I left in the garage a little too long. We'll see....
ReplyDeleteThose are acanthus leaves. The acanthus is another plant that wilts to the ground in a freeze but bounces back when the temperatures warm.
DeleteThe rose looks like something you find on a fancy cake.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you are enjoying the Bee Sting - it's in my reading queue.
Ha! It does look like icing!
DeleteThat rose is lovely. I'm glad it is thawing out for you. I'll check out the book. Best to you, Dave and Olga.
ReplyDeleteAnd best back to you, e! Yes, let me know if you try "The Bee Sting."
Delete34 still sounds cold to me, but a normal temperature for winter. I can't imagine the below zero and what that must do to pipes and to people who aren't used to it. (or dressed for it) I have NO clothing that would work for frigid temperatures!
ReplyDeleteWe're not below zero on a Fahrenheit scale -- far from it. We're just below freezing, in the low 20s at the coldest. We never have to protect pipes, for example -- it doesn't get cold enough.
Delete(I think you misread a dash in my previous post as a minus sign. I re-punctuated the sentence so no one else would misread it that way!)
If you can't buy a lava lamp bulb, just buy a whole new lava lamp. Then put it on your desk at work when you don't need it for the avocado. The teasel looks pretty with the frost on it.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I did last time, but it seems silly to have to buy a whole new lamp when I just need a bulb! Talk about overconsumption!
Delete