Here's a new thread starting on March 7th
Ah the blooms of Spring are here.
We are having some grand signs of spring here.
The day began in the mid 40s and will sneak up to 70 today.
Please come by often with your weather.
These popular shrubs of which I obviously don''t know the name of are going bomkers in my yard.
;)
This message was edited Mar 7, 2008 3:18 PM
Is that a loropetalum, Sidney? http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/54320/ We had some in the front yard when we first moved in. We really liked them, but they wanted to get BIG! right under the Texas Sage, which wasn't going to work. We liked the sage better, so we pulled them out. I want to get some more for the backyard, where they can get as big as they like. :-)
Oh, and all of the "dandruff" missed us, as expected. :-) I sure wish we could send you some of the rain we've been getting, Tamara! It looks like we will be getting a break from it for a few days... We're still under a wind advisory; they extended it until 6:15. That could make rush hour on I-10 really ugly. :-(
Marylyn I prune mine back real hard after they bloom as I do the azealeas.
they are really showing out this year. I recon it was all the rain that has caught up with our previous drought.
Sidney
Yep, definitely a loropetalum. I have several of them and love them although we had to transplant 3 of them last autumn. The builder had stuck 5 of them in one small bed which was WAY too many for the amount of space. One of mine already has a bloom or two or on it which is amazing, given our crazy weather.
Speaking of crazy weather, we are finally getting some of that snow which "they" predicted for us last night and today. I took this photo a few minutes ago.
Marsue, That's sure enough chilly looking alright.
Sharon, see if you can find a list of Florida hardy roses. The ones brought from NC didn't live here for me.
I got one that Jeremy brought from his 'rack buying' days. the 3 gal pot weighed a ton. When I dug a hole and planted it I realized someone had already taken it home and planted it. It was packed in wet Beach sand and that's why it was so heavy. It really went roots up in less than 10 days.
I had a Gardener's Diary recorded with a list of Florida happy roses, but of course I can't put my hands on it.
Sidney
Well I drove in at 6:30 AM on dry roads.....
Snow started at 9:00....
Hasn't let up since.
I brushed 5" off the car at work.
The highway going South (my way) was about empty.
Going North and East it was a Parking Lot.
Those people will be hours and hours getting home.
Seemes everyone left out early... which throws everyone on the HWY at the same time...
DUH.... instead of staggering them out over a 3 hour or so period.
The side roads were 6" or so of frozen slush... but again no one going in my direction...
Here's the latest forecast... I don't EVER remember seeing this Warning.
.........................................................
Blizzard Warning
...blizzard warning in effect until 4 pm est saturday...
...winter storm warning is cancelled...
the national weather service in wilmington has issued a blizzard
warning...which is in effect until 4 pm est saturday. the winter
storm warning has been cancelled.
a major winter storm will continue to affect the ohio valley
overnight into saturday. this storm will hit as a one two punch.
the initial punch today...followed by a brief lull in the snow
intensity this evening...before picking up in intensity again
overnight when strong low pressure will combine with an upper
level disturbance to bring a second round of heavy snow to the
region. winds will gust up to 40 mph at times overnight. before
the storm ends saturday afternoon...you can expect 10 to 15 inches
of accumulation. the strong winds combined with snow and blowing
snow will cause extreme winter weather conditions. the snow and
blowing snow will reduce visibilities to near zero at times
causing whiteout...and blizzard conditions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Fridge is full.... Wine Fridge well stocked.....Hot Tub is HOT!
4 Movies to watch and a kitchen to rebuild.....
Guess we won't get bored! LOL!
Off to get a few Photos...
Ric
Ric,
Sounds like a great reason to keep having Blizzards. Some of my best memories were snow included.
I am so glad we aren't getting any (KOW). I do have to bring in all 15 trays on saturday so they won't get chilled.
Sidney
Sharon and Sidney, I found this comment on Climbing Don Juan over in PlantFiles:
On Jul 1, 2006, shellabella from Clearwater, FL
(Zone 9b) wrote:
"I love this climber. The blooms are a brilliant red and it has given me no problems with black spot or anything else. My Don Juan is on Fortuniana rootstock which I understand is a very good rootstock for successful Roses in Florida. "
We planted our Don Juan last spring and it just grew beautifully. I did have some problem with black spot but that is to be expected with our high humidity. This year I am going to try the horticultural cornmeal to control the black spot.
Ric: it sounds like you are stocked with all the "essentials" and are ready for your coming blizzard. I hope your area does not experience any power outages.
It was still snowing here until just a few minutes ago but it stopped temporarily then it started snowing lightly again--the front has lingered rather than moving out. Now our forecast says we will get snow on into the evening but that it will stop and tomorrow we will have periods of sun and clouds with a high of 40º. I took this photo just a few minutes ago.
Here's a collage I made from photos I have taken today. These photos were taken about one hour apart and show the progression of the snowfall. The top 6 show a portion of my backyard with the bird feeder beyond the rose arbor. The bottom 3 show a portion of our front yard.
edited to add: I know you folks up north don't think much of 3 inches of snow but down here it is a major event! LOL
This message was edited Mar 7, 2008 5:02 PM
Marylyn – The tag has Verdologo “Moss Rose”. I’ve never had these plants before, so I’m going to have fun with them.
Marsue – Thanks for the collages! They’re so pretty!
Rann – The ducks are too cute! Their little feet are a great contrast to the snow. I had to save it. Looks like a stand off between Selma and the ducks!
Joey – I’m going with D on the trivia. How is school going? Is it Spring break yet? What kind of flowers are those under the leaves?
Marsue – I really like that SunSprite. I may have to find one! Look at all that snow!
Sidney – We have those shrubs here too. I didn’t know their name either until now. I’ll see what I can find for roses here. I just haven’t been lucky with them. : (
Marylyn – I so don’t miss the rush hour traffic! LOL!
Ric – So the difference between a blizzard warning and a winter storm warming would be ? Sounds like 2 different terms with basically the same effect! Lots of cold weather, snow, snow and more snow and home bound! At least you’ve got all the basics loaded and ready to go!
Marsue – Ahhh, Don Juan and I are going to be getting to know each other! LOL! Say hello to my little friend!
65.5 °F / 18.6 °C
Light Rain Mist
Humidity: 91%
Dew Point: 63 °F / 17 °C
Wind: Calm
Wind Gust: 0.0 mph / 0.0 km/h
Pressure: 29.79 in / 1008.7 hPa (Rising)
Visibility: 5.0 miles / 8.0 kilometers
UV: 0 out of 16
Clouds: Mostly Cloudy 2000 ft / 609 m
Overcast 7000 ft / 2133 m
(Above Ground Level)
Elevation: 20 ft / 6 m
Flood Watch in effect through late tonight...
Freeze watch in effect from late Saturday night through Sunday morning...
Tonight
Showers likely and chance of thunderstorms in the evening...then chance of showers and slight chance of thunderstorms after midnight. Rainfall may be heavy at times. Breezy. Low 52. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts to 25 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.
The rain hasn't stopped today. The tourists are annoyed and they are going to be even worse tomorrow when the temps don't go over 60! Oh well....
This damage was in Lake City to the west of us
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=104002
The 3rd picture down is a house flipped on it's side. We had some strong winds, but no tornadoes. The port-a-potties at one of the temporary car lots were knocked over. That's as much damage I've seen here. Lots of tree/moss debris in the roads.
Taken in September
I'm not sure I'm on the same planet as the rest of you. No snow or cold or rain or nuthin' here.
Van Nuys, California (Airport)
Updated: 2:51 PM PST on March 07, 2008
75 °F / 24 °C
Clear
Humidity: 22%
Dew Point: 33 °F / 1 °C
Wind: 14 mph / 22 km/h / 6.2 m/s from the South
on the street where our hotel was
down the same street in the other direction
I love moss roses (aka portulaca), Sharon! They don't like my garden, though; I think I have too much shade. I'm gonna want LOTS of pictures of yours! LOL
I think we should all go visit Kelli until April.
This message was edited Mar 7, 2008 5:52 PM
Marsue: The Robins are right. :) Spring's comin'.
Rann: I love that last picture of the "stand-off" with the row of ducks.... "Feedme!FEEDME!" LOL. Oh, and I figure our awful heat and humidity is the price we pay for mild winters. So I try never to complain when it's 90 degrees and 90% humidity!
Sharon: Adore portulaca! That's a beautiful succulent that's "about" to bloom. What is it?
Ric: The word "blizzard" would scare me, hot tub, movies, and wine notwithstanding!
We had our version of the storm here, too. Like you, Sharon, we had tornado and flood watches all afternoon. It bucketed down! Pine limbs all over the yard (not too big, tho.) Sadly, they're still predicting a freeze Sat and Sun night. Booo!
Right now, 65F and cloudy.
High tomorrow 67 with a 70% chance of rain. I'm loving all the rain, just wish it didn't come before a cold snap!
Daffodil "Sweet Sue' (taken late today in pretty low light).
Deb
I think the 'Blizzard' term is actually meant to scare you.
It should keep the less adventurous off the roads.
We're in the 3 hour lull period now but it will be ending shortly.
The temp is currently 27° (Wind Chill 14°) w/ 17 MPH winds.
It shouldn't drop much further.
Tomorrow we won't top 25°.
Sunday's temp should be 39° w/ mid 50's by Weds........
This is not an icey storm so the power should be OK.
If not we have a small generator I can hook to the Furnace and the TV...LOL!
Ric
Remember this is just the first wave.... I'd say 6" out there already.
Ric
Rest Of Tonight: mostly clear. Lows around 10. North winds 5 to 15 mph. Wind chill readings 1 below to 9 above zero.
Currently: 16°F Clear
Currently: -8°C Clear
Wind: North at 14 MPH
Humidity: 73%
Dewpoint: 9°F
Barometer: 30.21 inches
Wind Chill: 1°F
Wind: North at 22 KPH
Humidity: 73%
Dewpoint: -12°C
Barometer: 1023 millibars
Wind Chill: -17° C
Sunrise: 6:40 am
Sunset: 6:19 pm
Many thanks to all who commented on my icy landscape photos. I was fortunate to have a few breaks in the dark clouds at just the right time of day.
The weather here sure has taken a turn for the worse since this morning. Currently it's 27°F with around 8" of sugary snow on the ground. It's like walking on a beach. We are getting a break in the snowfall for the moment but are expecting heavy snows and winds to pick up again tonight through Sunday.
Ric............the band of snow you are getting socked with is tracking just to the west of me right now and heading out over the lake.
Deb.............First you tease me with tulips............and now daffodils.
Kelli........I'm enjoying the photo tour of Rome.
Kiska..........your "zoomed in" photos of the mountain peaks are awesome!
Photo: Horizontal version of the sap buckets and maples
early_bloomer
E_B: Sorry (looking sheepish). :>
early_bloomer we WERE going to a Syrup Run tomorrow morning.
NO WAY that's happening.
LOVED those Ice shots too!
We hit one years back just perfectly too.
1/2" of ice and no clouds.
It's amazing to walk around in a crystal wonderland!
25° (Wind Chill 13°)
We put a rug down to go to the Hot Tub.
There was an 1 1/2 of snow on it when we got out an hour later.
Looks like a long white night! LOL!
Ric
enjoy all that wet white stuff!
Mornin'! Well, we don't have any snow. We're on the other side of the cold front, so it's rain for us! Kentucky, Tennessee, & Ric got the brunt of the storm. And E_B, too. At the moment the robins are singing & it's 50° outside....Yes, I have the window open! :D You guys & gals keep the snow pics comin'! :D
At Dublin...
Rain: 46°F
Feels like: 45°F
Barometer: 29.5 in
Dewpoint: 46°
Humidity: 100%
Visibility: 1 miles
Wind: 3 mph ENE
Sunrise: 6:43 AM
Sunset: 6:24 PM
Ric, E_B, & Marsue...got any more of those snow pics? :D
Marsue & Sharon, the little wild flower you see is Solomons Seal, a rather pretty native.
Kelli, Rome looks rather crowded!
No spring break for me....I have one more practicum to do & it should take me 3 weeks (at least) to finish.
I will be back after by afternoon...must get ready for a few hours of work.
Trivia answer is...A
Warmer summers and falls added extra heat to the lakes causing massive lake effect storms come winter.
Some of the snowiest winters of all time occurred in the Great Lakes during the 1990s.
Til then...
Joey
Maruse – I had to go back yto the last collage – you’ve got a lot of Cardinals! We have a couple of families that hang around. 3” of snow is a lot to me! LOL! Heck ½” of snow is lot!
Kelli – Love the pictures!
Marylyn - The portaluca tag has full sun on it. I’ve plenty of that in the back yard! I’ll be happy to provide pictures! LOL!
Deb – We’ve got the freeze going too tonight. Like Sidney I’ll be hauling in the seed flats today. This kind of weather is very unusual for us. It’s normally pretty darn warm for the car show. Your daff is gorgeous!
Ric – Your garden is so white! Very pretty!
Pepper – Do you still have snow? Are you catching any of this storm?
E_B – I can smell the maple – mmmmmmm!
Deb – Not you’re not! LOL!!
Joey – I’ve got the back door open too and can hear the birds singing. Isn’t it wonderful? Hope you get to enjoy a little down time anyway.
56.7 °F / 13.7 °C
Scattered Clouds
Humidity: 53%
Dew Point: 40 °F / 4 °C
Wind: 7.0 mph / 11.3 km/h / 3.1 m/s from the West
Wind Gust: 11.0 mph / 17.7 km/h / 17.5 m/s
Pressure: 29.85 in / 1010.7 hPa (Rising)
Visibility: 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers
UV: 0 out of 16
Clouds: Few 3700 ft / 1127 m
Scattered Clouds 11000 ft / 3352 m
(Above Ground Level)
Elevation: 20 ft / 6 m
Wind Advisory in effect until 6 PM EST this afternoon...
Freeze watch in effect from late tonight through Sunday morning...
Today
Partly cloudy. Very windy. Cooler. H 59. West winds 25 to 30 mph with gusts to around 45 mph.
We received a little over 4.5" of rain at the house yesterday. Couldn't get a decent picture of anything! Not complaining at all - so nice to be in surplus mode. Some of the retention ponds actually have water in them.
E_B - Just another little teaser!
Hamilton County is under a Level 3 Snow Emergency
Level 3) All roadways are closed to nonemergency personnel. No one
should be out during these conditions unless it is absolutely
necessary to travel. All employees should contact their
employer to see if they should report to work. Those traveling
on the roadways may subject themselves to prosecution.
Can't believe they cancelled Jeff's Driving School....how they gonna learn?....LOL!
Here's an ARTEMIS Link
http://www.artimis.org/camaccess1.html
Can't really get a grip on just how much snow we have.
The lighting is too flat.
There is at least a foot on the garage roof and 5" on the Hot Tub steps.
It was clean at 11 PM .........
Guess I'll gear up and go out for some pictures.
Here's Wu at 4 PM yesterday
Ric
Ric: you definitely have a "blizzard" going on there. If there were any plants in those pots they must be well-frozen by now! An hour in the hot tub--you must have been toasted or at least well-roasted! LOL
Sharon: great beach picture. That website showed some major damage. I heard on the news this morning about tornado watches/warnings in Florida.
Deb: I need one of those "Sweet Sue" daffs. It was nice of those folks to name it after me! ☺☺☺
EB; love the shot of the maple trees with sap buckets--Not something we see down here.
Kelli: no wonder the traffic in Rome is terrible! So many cars, so little room!
Here's a photo of the little girls across the street making a snowman yesterday afternoon. They worked really hard. These girls are about the same age as Rann's girls.
Here's a photo of the finished product:
Here's a photo of our sunrise this morning. I imagine most of our snow will be gone by this afternoon. Our high should reach into the low 40's and the sun is shining brightly--not a cloud in the sky. The melting has begun.
No snow on ground here. Yeah!! It would be great if we could have green grass and green trees again. I miss the shade!!!
Thought you'd get a chuckle out of these.
Ric
Hauling Snow
The Yard
Sharon: 4.5" of rain. Yowwza!
Ric: I'm just amazed at the amount of snow! Wu looks very distinguished.
Sunny but very windy and 59F at the moment.
Low tonight will be 30 they say. The weather guy called it "chilly". I call 30 a "freeze". Gotta cover some stuff.
Clematis and Iris have buds. Azaleas all blooming. My yard will look like someone's clothes line broke! LOL.
Hellebores open but not much color yet.
Deb
Joey, Rome is pretty crowded, even by L.A. standards. However, I suppose that is a consequence of everything being pretty close to everything else and that makes it easy for the visitor to get around on foot.
Marsue, the traffic in Rome was not as bad as I expected, (it's worse in Boston) although we didn't drive ourselves any. Pedestrians have the right of way and when you step into a cross-walk, the traffic stops, though we didn't press our luck and usually crossed where there was a walk/don't walk light. Those lights are kind of interesting in themselves. They show a green person when you can walk, and orange one as caution, and a red one as don't walk. You all have probably seen those time-lapse night photos that make it look like the traffic is racing around the Colosseum. It really isn't like that. Traffic is probably going 30-35 mph and we crossed that street many times and have lived to tell about it. The Metro system is not as comprehensive as in Paris, but it's not bad.
It's another chamber of commerce day.
Van Nuys, California (Airport)
Updated: 9:51 AM PST on March 08, 2008
70 °F / 21 °C
Mostly Cloudy
Humidity: 21%
Dew Point: 28 °F / -2 °C
Wind: 9 mph / 15 km/h / 4.1 m/s from the NNE
This is an 11th century mosaic in the church San Clemente. This is an 11th century church built on top of a 4th century church which is built on top of Roman structures, including a shrine to the god Mithras. You weren't allowed to take pictures of the underground stuff so I don't have pictures from the 4th century church or the Mithraium.
This is a statue in the church but it looks like Renaissance, not 11th century.
colonnade at St. Peter's (Vatican)
Tiber River - It looks pretty shallow.
The Tiber Rive is 7-20 feet deep. :~) Here's the link where I found the info. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiber
Currently: 28°F Mostly Cloudy
Currently: -2°C Mostly Cloudy
Wind: Southwest at 13 MPH
Humidity: 54%
Dewpoint: 14°F
Barometer: 29.99 inches
Wind Chill: 18°F
Wind: Southwest at 20 KPH
Humidity: 54%
Dewpoint: -10°C
Barometer: 1015 millibars
Wind Chill: -7° C
Sunrise: 6:40 am
Sunset: 6:19 pm
Sugar, I hope I'm not the only one left on dial-up. I see no end in sight for it yet :(( Love the Bonker Bushes!! :)) They look like feather dusters!
Marsue, wow! That looks like Iowa!! Is that your rock garden?
Ric, I'm so glad the snows and rain petered out on us. I fear we would have a reall mess! Storm ready, don't you love it?!
Marsue, love the collage! What a weather memory! 3'' of snow can be a pain anywhere!! It's pretty if nothing runs thru it leaving tracks :))
Sharon, I love moss rose!! I'm glad you didn't have any storm damage. Too bad someone did tho. Lovely blooms!
Kelli, someone has to represent the warm and dry :)) Wow, what a packed street! Interesting buildings. I like the reverse picture of the street!
Deb, it's a wild ride till spring actually stays here! Beautiful Daffodil!!
Ric, the picture is worth the storm!
Early, I love the stand of trees!
Joey, green is just what I need to see, cool, deep greens!!
Sharon, rose moss actually reseeds for me here. I really look forward to it. It likes hot and dry and really grows fast! I love that picture!!
Ric, nice shot of Wu!!
Marsue, what cute pictures!! Was this their snowman? I love the snow on the pines. Gorgeous sunrise! That is the best way to have snow, frozen rain :))
Pepper, I miss mowing :))
Ric, giggling! Great shots!
Deb, I agree! That's a freeze! Lovely hellebore. I really have to start getting some early blooming plants in!
Kelli, Rome is a neat place. Gorgeous mosaic!! Why no pictures of the underground? I'd love to have the statue! Love the colonades!! Guess you were at the shallow end. I love the bridge!
Pepper, we're close to your weather.
24*, sunny, chilly, but nice in the sun. Not too breezy, but nothing much is melting.
Can't wait for a repeat of this picture!
