Beyond Rivalry

Not sure how much we got -- between one and two feet, I think -- but it's pretty. And kept us busy most of the day shoveling ...

 

 

We got ice, sleet and freezing rain last night. We never lost power but apparently many people in surrounding areas have. The temps are around freezing now (mid-afternoon) and there's a layer of slush atop the ice. I had to go out early this morning, wearing metal treads on the bottom of my hiking boots to keep from slip-sliding away.  It all looks winter-wonderlandy.

 

Is it going to rain today: Yes or no?

 

Same info at Umbrella Today?, and you can get a text message sent to you any day you'll need your brolly.

What I did today (after collecting a previous 10-15 bags in October):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What I still have to do:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the trees are by no means empty of leaves, as you can see ...

 

Who knew that NOAA has a list of fictional books, plays, and movies that have been written involving tropical cyclones and hurricanes? I found out accidentally today, looking for the title of a mystery, written decades ago, set in Palm Beach featuring a nurse and tycoon! (Haven't found it yet.)  The list of about 65 works is chronological and starts with Shakespeare's The Tempest (1611), ends with Hurricane: a novel (2008) by Terry Trueman, about Hurricane Mitch in the Honduras.

My garden is foliage-focused -- lots of variegated and neon forms of perennial leaves -- but there are some flowering plants. Right now, here are the perennials that are blooming. Most of the photos of these blooms were taken yesterday; the tradescantia photos are from earlier because their flowers had already closed in the afternoon rain.

 

The raspberries, as I feared, are molding on the canes. I snipped a bunch of the moldy berries off yesterday to encourage new fruiting.

 

 

hosta (white and lavender)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

hydrangea (green that turns to white that is turning now to blue) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

geranium 'mourning widow' (purple)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

tradescantia (blue and magenta)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

bee balm (purple on one side of the house, red on the other)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

meadow sage (light purple) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

daylilies (orange and rich yellow)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

black-eyed-Susan (volunteer, maybe left over from a wildflower planting a few years ago)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

daisies (no decent shot)

 

 

various sedum (pink, white, yellow)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

anise hyssop (purple spikes) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the last of the astilbes (faded pink)

 

the last of the filipendula (also faded pink)

Snaps taken over the weekend are here (the first 20 in the set), with a few samples below; click to enlarge:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even from inside the house. Here's why.

Twelve new garden photos at Flickr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, photos from Tower Hill Gardens and Garden in the Woods, both in Massachusetts. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"It's so disappointing," Linda Wilmesherr, a local resident, tells the Associated Press. "With all the guns in this county, couldn't we kill a muskrat?"

 

from Muskrats blamed for levee breach in Missouri, in USA Today