Hard Freeze Night

      The cold this morning was rather unexpected. Did Lee Goldberg or Lonnie miss something. I sure did. I haven't been watching the weather like a hawk. So, bright sun shining, I was startled by my thermometer's 28.7 degree F reading at 10 am this morning.

The plan was to go to the beach farm, and off I was, as planned, although later than expected. The flowers at home showed little sign of the long freeze -our first hard freeze. Still many sunflowers, asters, and chrysanthemum in bloom. The beach farm told a different story.

In winter the winds come from the northwest, after a cold front has passed, and this deadens the moderating effect of the ocean's warmer water. The snap peas, three feet in the air had taken the hardest hit, leaving me a few spotty pods to nibble on. The pineapple sage had finally succumbed. Those plants closer to the ground and nearer the fence weathered the long cold quite well, leaving me chard, broccoli florets, the last head of cauliflower, and parsley. Another degree or so and I think those would have bit just as the snap peas had. 

I buried the compost scraps, pulled a few weeds that care not about 28 degrees, stared long and hard at the garlic that are in some places 5 inches tall. I see the tracks of a large dog. I see aphids and white flies on the peas and broccoli. All these seem to care not about 28 degrees.

I lingered. Then, nose running too far from the cold breeze, I decided to head out to the studio where more than a days work needs to be done.

Tonight I will head out to cut that last iris that did show some of the translucent quality after ice forms within. The sunflowers, on the other hand, I expect to be blooming for our neighbors on Christmas. Who knows, maybe even New Year's.