The Calendula's Never Say Die:



On October 28th, as everyone around here knows, we got a very early snowstorm..about 4"-6" of heavy wet snow that shrunk down just from it's weight. Proof that it was not just a flurry, I went cross-country skiing today. It wasn't good for the sport, but good for my body--good exercise, especially picking up branches that fell yesterday--it sure cleaned out all the dead wood.

But, yesterday was a bad day for birds, and I had to fill the feeders. I first shoveled the walkway of the heavy wet snow, and saw a flash of yellow. It was the Calendula... October's flower. It didn't look as happy as it's merry color of yellow, but it got my admiration for it's stamina, blooming even in the freezing weather and now covered with snow until I released it from it's heavy blanket. They grow like weeds all summer long, and their heads turn into brown circular wheels of seed, not at all pretty if you don't keep snapping them off to spread their seed for next year. It's this time of year I enjoy them the most, as they are the only thing still blooming as they take in the cold weather like a vitamin. One year I picked a bouquet of them in November.

I just took the picture above, and when importing it, checking it's clarity, I thought... "Could it be? I think there's a bug on that flower." I went outside and checked it out, and sure enough, one of it's aphid's had gotten off it's stem on where they thrive late summer and ...well, up 'til now, and then some, I guess... and went to the flower which at least looks warmer. The little bug, though dark in the photo was green when I checked. Just sitting on it's flower thinking "What the heck is going on?!"

This storm was early even for a snow-and-cool-weather-lover like me, and I do hope it warms up for the Halloween Trick or Treaters. The heavy snow caused electric lines to fail, and we were without heat for awhile. I was so cold yesterday that when filling out one of those email friendship getting-to-know-you-better questionaires, it said "Where I'd rather be right now", I put: "South"... I should have put "Arizona" as I later learned that this cold snap extends all the way to Florida. Besides, my son just moved to Arizona. Oh if I could only teleport myself there, I'd be there for supper, which would be their lunch-time. If it snows in Arizona this year, it will be my son August's fault, as when he first moved to Virginia, where he lived previously, he had more snow there than we had that winter. Who knows... the weather has been strange all over... maybe it WILL snow in Arizona this winter.

I'm blaming our snowstorm on my husband Tom. He just got my car snow tires... And I thought he was getting them too soon. He has a little of The Wizard in him when it comes to keeping the machinery in good order. I call his brother, John, a Wizard, as he is a farmer, and he'll call the crop work just right every time. He knows when to fertilize right before the rain; when to sow; when to reap; when to cut the hay and ted it without having it spoiled by rain, and usually has second cuttings of hay when others are just planning their first. He has a bumper crop of corn this year at a time when people thought the corn supply would be down with so much of it going to making ethanol.

Well... that's all for now, folks. I'll be blogging right regular, but no more serious stuff, and absolutely no more political. I'll be so glad when November 4th is over!

Chillin' out,
Cranberry Jo