DEEP WINTER SNOW COVERS THE GARDEN HOME

HELLO from your Garden Daddy here at the garden home! Well, what can I say other than, "BRRRRRR"! Deep winter with an 11" snowfall has enveloped this garden home in a drift of white, ice glazed snow this week. Starting Thursday evening, Jackson, TN has been enveloped in a deep freeze with first a freezing rain shower, then sleet then the addition of some 11-inches of snow followed by a light coating of additional freezing rain and sleet. My little garden guard dog, "Max", was having trouble making his daily trips into the back yard for his "fertilization projects" as the snow was so far up on his body that he was almost buried up to his back. Our morning walk was delayed until I could get the snow shovel and deicer out and make some paths down the sidewalk to the street level. Then I got the pup and we made a large circle around the neighborhood and he found satisfaction!

After our morning constitutional for "Max", I proceeded to clear off my truck and warm it up and deice the entire thing in case of emergencies of neighbors, etc. I have been chosen as my neighborhood association block captain and felt obligated to check on the conditions of the elderly and folks that might be in need in my area. I cleared a few sidewalks for some of my seniors and chatted with neighbors and made sure everyone on "my watch" was safe and OK. Then upon finishing clearing my sidewalks, etc., here at the garden home, I proceeded to a hot shower and a hot tea.

When I woke up early this morning I turned on the television and caught part of the 90-day weather outlook on "AG DAY". It appears that our area of the country will see below average temps for the next 90-day period. I had been predicting the same, in part from The University of Tennessee information I received this past fall during my Master Gardener intern course, that we were in for a long, colder than usual winter but had been scoffed at by both friend and foe alike. But it now appears I was right in line with my UT comrades. This of course will delay some plantings for the spring veggie patch but might give us a milder summer in return which I will gladly swap anytime. My plans are still on paper for the revamped veggie patch and the back yard in general but there is enough time to implement the theory to practical application in the mean time.

I will leave you today with some photos of our lovely snow and these words for your winterized pleasure and your gardening affirmation: "Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart." Victor Hugo