ICEBERGS IN MIAMI

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Never heard of such around these parts. Yes it's true a 'snorter' has blown it's way all the way down to South Florida. The temperature has fallen to an unspeakable level the upper 30's last night.

Folks around here don't know exactly what to make of it. You can see them walking around in their heavy Winter wear with cobwebs still attached and even trading in their shorts for long pants with the top button open {they fit last winter} . The wifebeater T shirts have been replaced for t shirts with sleeves. It's that bad.

The general consensus if you ask anyone is , " It's colder than a well diggers butt". So much for global warming.

Anyway where was I. Oh yeah, you ask how is the sandpit holding up to such a tidal wave of cold air? How should I know I have been holed up inside in the heat trying to get the top button on my long pants to close.

But I did manage to return the Christmas Cactus back to its nail on the Avocado tree for another season. It really outperformed this year with its bloom. It can be out of the spotlight and get a well deserved rest now that the New Year has begun.

And speaking of Tomatoes my Celebrity bush is lookin' kinda sad but keeps producing fresh Tomatoes. Been chomping down on BLT sandwiches . Now that's fine dining to me.

The little Tomatoes [ Everglades Tomato ] are a constant snack every time I wander out in the garden. They are sweet tasting and get eaten from the bush a handful at the time.

And what about the Hillbilly Orchid. It's actually sent out another flower tract that is starting to bloom despite the cold weather .

Here it is soaking up the late afternoon sun before the temperature starts dropping again tonight.

And finally just a reminder now is the day to plant your Rock Candy plant. If you don't get er in the ground on January 6th you will have to wait to next year to grow one of these guys.

Just kidding the first and last pictures are glass sculpture by the artist Chihuly that were displayed at the Fairchild Gardens a while back.

Anyway here's to hoping that every one's plants make it through the 'snorter' OK
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NORTHERN TREASURES

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Just returned from a cool trip up North. I only went as far as North Florida but living in South Florida that still counts as north. And it was a cool trip literally as my truck has no heat and I never got around to fixing it because I never use it here.

I did return with some treasures from the North however and survived the blistering cold. Well it wasn't really blistering but living in South Florida you get rather spoiled. Anything below 60 is referred to as Arctic conditions around these parts.

One of the treasures is this Yesterday,Today and Tomorrow plant. It is Brunfelsia Pauciflora if you are so inclined. It has some cold damage from Arctic conditions up North but should do fine here . It is supposed to bloom purple flowers which turn lavender then turn white and to be fragrant. Should be great come spring in the garden.

My other treasure that was retrieved is this old varmit shotgun. It came from my family farm up in North Carolina and was best as I can figure my grandfather's. It is a plain utility 12 gauge double barrel shotgun produced by Hanover Arms and made in Belgium. Hanover Arms was a trade name for Folsom Arms and produced basic firearms which were imported to the United States from 1893 to WW1 or about 1914. So any way you figure this shotgun is around 100 years old. It sold around the 1900s for 12 to 14 dollars.
It is nothing fancy and has no engraving as it was meant to be used as a utility shotgun. I imagine that this gun put a lot of food on the table in it's day up on the farm.

My plan is to mount it on my wall as a showpiece much to the chagrin of my wife. I keep telling her that she is lucky that I like keeping old things but somehow she doesn't see the humor.

Anyway back to the story . I made it back from the Arctic North with my new found treasures. And to celebrate plucked some of the Tomato's from the garden. They are still hanging on although the bushes are lookin' kinda rough and still producing their last fruits. I plan on Lettuce ,Bacon and Tomato sandwiches for dinner using these home grown fella's from the garden. Anyway hope everyone had a fine time festivatin' over the new year.

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WAS THAT WINTER?

The seventy two degree temperatures have gone and it is back up to eighty five degree's. The local weather guy is predicting record high temperatures later in the week in the low ninety's range. My question is ,was that winter last week? South Florida really has only two seasons here hot and less hot. That's what is so great about living in the semi-tropics you can watch the weather and see other regions freezing and in the snow while you are still in shorts and a T shirt.

In the garden I found the some thing has been munching on the branches of one of the Everglades Tomato plants. I suspect that it is one of the big green tomato horn worms that show up this time of year. I checked the plant and found nothing. So to safeguard my new tomatoes that I started I was forced to break out the Seven dust and sprinkle some over the leaves. I have been trying to stay away from using poisons to control the insects but in this climate it is hard to do and still have any plants left. I think it is a horn worm but I am still keeping my eye on the Iguana that has taken up residence in a nearby small tree.

This tomato has grown up wild in a container that had another type plant. I think that it is one of the Everglades Tomato plants that reseeded itself. I gave it some of the liquid fertilizer that I made up for the other Tomatoes and it has really perked up and is growing strong so I staked it with a bamboo shoot and will let it grow.

This guy is another wild tomato that sprouted up in one of the pots. This one is definitely an Everglades Tomato. I think that if the temperature gets under eighty these will be covered with small dime size fruits. These are just right to eat strait from the bush while working outside .

And these are the big boys, literally one is called Big Boy.
The other is Celebrity. I added a Bamboo stake to both containers and gave them a sprinkling of Seven dust just to be on the safe side. So far they are both looking good and have doubled in size from last week.

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