The ice was bad where it occurred, but the closest ice was 35 miles west and north of here. It was like someone drew a diagonal line across the state. Luckily we were below that line. Temps never dropped below 34 that first day, and we got boo-coos of rain. There was a BIG ferocious thunderstorm with lightening like I have never seen in my entire life! Zooks!

After the rain ended, the night temps dropped down into the low 20s. I had covered all the veggie Cole crops and the Peonies that are budded and about to bloom. Covered the strawberries with lots of straw, so everything survived. No terrible damage, thank goodness, not even to the roses. I presume that was because we had had two-three weeks of 80 degree temps so the ground and everything was well heated, which radiated upwards and kept everything from completely freezing and spoiling.

Temp was around 31 last night. I covered everything again in the early afternoon. Still a bit chilly out, but warming up fast. Gotta go uncover everything...again.

The temp today is supposed to warm up dramatically and for the next 5 days, up into the 70s-80s again...when yet another winter front is scheduled to hit us broadside - hard and deep.

They are warning us not to set out tender plants in the ground yet.
I am re-potting all my tomatoes, peppers, and flowers into larger pots to grow until this craziness stops...if it does. Wouldn't be the first year that I had to grow my veggie garden in containers because it was too wet and/or too cold to set them out. I've also had tomatoes and peppers developing on my plants in pots many times long before the weather finally settled and I could set them out into the garden, It doesn't bother them, so... este es no problemo!

There are occasionally summers when it NEVER really warms up, so no warm weather crops all summer. The roses love it though, and I can grow a lot of salad stuff, so not a total loss I reckon. :)
Have to wait and see what this year will bring. So far, Winter just isn't wanting to go retire for the year. It's just this radical swinging back and forth - can't have any kind of garden with the weather doing this. Sheesh!

I fear that the Old Garden Roses that only bloom once a year will burst into bloom or nearly so this week and then that next Winter Storm will arrive and spoil them all.

But...what can you really do about it. Nuttin'!

Thanks for asking Hun.
So thoughtful of you.

I haven't been on here much this week. My mother had major surgery two days ago. Her gall bladder was Gangrene for gosh sakes! She is recovering. She comes from tough old California Pioneer stock. She will be 86 next week, and be back to singing at the local Senior music centers within a month - I'd bet money on it. What a hoot!
Meanwhile, I am driving to her house every day to take care of her animals and cleaning up after them, and then driving over to Stillwater to spend part of the day with her, then back home, do my chores here and take care of my critters and then try to fix something healthy for supper.

Last night I watched the NBA game with our OKC Thunder team vs Golden State Warriors...and finished my granddaughter's poncho I've been crocheting. while watching and yelling. Went to bed at three-thirty, woke up at seven thirty, played with the kittens until eight o'clock and then got up to start another c-r-a-z-y day on the ranch.
I'm pretty tired, I'll tell ya!

Think I 'll call mother here in a bit and tell her I am thinking of taking the day off, other than taking care of her critters. and the neighbor's two abandoned cats. They all have to have fresh food and water and mother's dogs have to go out to relieve themselves. after eating.

If I don't take a break, the "caregiver" will need a caregiver. :)

To top it all off, we have a Band Gig tomorrow night, not too distant from here, but it is a lot of heavy work, loading and unloading equipment, setting up, putting up the light system and sometimes repairing things last minute...tuning the drums an d guitars and doing sound checks and then four hours of performing, followed by tearing it all down, packing it up, and loading the trailer and driving home...A lot of hard.work for an all-night event. We get a little "chump change" for all that, but it's fun and musicians really don't do what they do for the money, so...

So today, I am thinking I better TRY to give it a rest
Pizza for supper and no gardening until Sunday.

Blah, blah, blah.....

~Annie