It was the best of times, it was the worst of times!
For the best, I started the week off celebrating my birthday,
and the celebrations continued almost every day that week. I was wined and dined for lunches and dinners with good friends
and family. I didn't cook a meal the whole week--poor Clay! I love celebrating special events, and birthdays are special--and it was so good to be with so many of my friends. We may not be back to normal, but we are getting there. Tuesday night we had a dual celebration with my sister-in-law.
Our birthdays are a day apart, so it was great to have the whole family together for a fun dinner at the Grumpy Rabbit,
some we hadn't seen in a very long time. I heard from so many of you this week and I had a wonderful time. I think life should be celebrated whenever possible.
Another highlight was my Laughing Ladies book club on Monday night.
We discussed the Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. 2 gave it a 3.75, 2 a 3.5 and 1 a 3. Overall it was well-written, but sad. The book is told from the perspective of the dog. Ever since, I keep thinking Petal's thoughts! So good to connect with friends from all over via zoom!
That was the highlight of the week, but the low was the low temperatures we had starting Tuesday night and continuing into Thursday morning. Friday was pretty bleak too, but at least well above freezing. I think many people were in the same boat I was in. We bought tender plants to be able to get them, and then we had to protect them. I covered all the vegetables I had planted.
When I saw the forecast I held off on planting the rest of the summer plants, so I spent a good deal of time Tuesday afternoon moving them all inside my house. I looked like I had my own private nursery indoors!
I kept them inside until Thursday morning. They all made it through unscathed, as did my outside covered plants. I have seen some damage on summer annuals and vegetables that were not covered. I know folks up north got hit even harder than we did. Nurseries were scrambling like crazy to protect their stock. Let's hope that is the last time we have to do that for this year! And all I can say is that these plants better perform after all the work I went through to keep them safe. I was hoping to get them all planted before I leave town, but time ran away. They should be fine until I get back.
After a meeting at the 4-H Center Tuesday, Master Gardeners were busy covering up all of their vegetables too.
I also ran into my good friend and expert bee keeper Jon Z. He was out there consulting with MG Marcy about their bee hives. We had a nice visit before I had to head home to protect my own plants.
As I drove around town Wednesday morning, the amount of linens in peoples yards was impressive. It looked like a yard sale of sheets and blankets. Gardeners do what they have to do to help plants thrive!
So ending my week, I got back to a high--my first vacation since last February. A friend and I are heading to Florida tomorrow. I can't wait to see the beach. Life is good!