Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful!

Okay, enough already! If you are like me, you're tired of all this arctic air we've been "blessed" with the last few days, and it's only the 11th day of January. Everywhere I look, I see shriveled up flowers and plants, patches of ice, and frozen fountains ... and even worse, are the stories about frozen pipes and plumbing woes.

I have to admit that I was delighted during the first few days, and took countless pictures of the ice around our waterfall and a couple of beautiful frozen fountains in Natchez. But now I'm ready for warmer temperatures (or at least our "normal" temperatures for this time of year).

I took a cold brisk walk around our yard this morning, and took a few pictures of the effects the unseasonably cold temperatures have had on our landscaping. At the time I was taking the pictures, I thought, "Oh, how drab and depressing looking," but as I edited the pictures, I realized that the shriveled and faded plants and flowers still have a certain beauty about them, in spite of the toll the cold "in-the-teens" temperatures have taken on them. (you can click on the pictures to enlarge them, if you'd like).

Sasanqua Bloom

It looked like this at Christmas ...

Even Harry, our blue heron looks cold, doesn't he!

In the summertime, this little girl statue is surrounding by lush green Asparagus Fern.

And speaking of "lush green Asparagus Ferns, these are painful to look at now.

Especially considering they looked like this just a few weeks ago ...

The only thing colorful in our yard right now is this urn of ornamental Kale plants, but they haven't grown any since I planted them in December.

Hopefully, my pansies and snapdragons will survive the cold snap and will start growing soon.

I'm sorry if I sound like I'm whining about a little cold weather. I know it could be a whole lot worse, and I'm truly thankful that we don't live somewhere like this ...

Wow, looking at that picture certainly puts things into perspective, and makes me appreciate being able to walk around in my yard and see my shriveled up and faded little plants.

My heart goes out to those of you whose world is covered with snow and ice all winter. I wish I could send you some of our Mississippi sunshine. It's supposed to be plentiful today.

Why I Love January

I don't like winter weather and the cold dreary days that accompany it ...

In central Mississippi, picturesque snowfalls (such as the one below which occurred in 2000) are few and far between ...

Mind you, I'm not complaining, though. I can't imagine living somewhere like this ...

But, winter weather aside ... I actually enjoy the month of January. There's just something about starting a new year with a "clean slate" and a brand new EMPTY calendar that makes me want to organize and "de-clutter" everything from my computer files and pictures to my closets, cabinets, and drawers.

I don't dare start with my computer files and pictures, because I know I would get so bogged down "playing," and before I knew it, February would be here and I would be out of my "organizing and de-cluttering mode."

That said, I plan to start in the attic with my silk flowers and vines which are, as I write this, scattered helter-skelter all over the attic, as a result of my impatience when I was trying to find my fall arrangements back in September.

A couple of days ago, I went to Home Depot and bought four large plastic bins with lids in which to store them according to the seasons.

Next, I plan to tackle my closet, and then maybe the bathroom cabinets and drawers. By the time I finish all that (or, more than likely, get bored with it), I will be in my "Decorating Mode." That will call for another trip to the attic to find my "January Stuff," which should not be a problem since it will all be stored neatly in the "Winter" bin and marked accordingly ... right?

I hope to keep you posted on my progress, but if you don't hear from me for a while, it's probably because I'm still sorting through all those silk flowers, vines, and berries trying to decide if they're Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall!