Alice - Loved the funny Florida message you posted! Thanks for the laughs!

FYI - For those that put sheets over their plants, I use clothes pins to secure the sheets to anything that I can to keep them from blowing off.

I hope all those dealing with the freezing cold weather, have warmth inside your homes and may your plants come roaring back in the Spring!

Stay safe, warm, and healthy! Happy New Year 2023!

Tiffany, how are the pipes? Thaw them with an hairdryer

RJ, our plumber posted something online warning people to not use a hair dryer. Apparently if there is a crack in the pipe, even a small one, you could have a flood and unless you know where and how to cut off your water supply it might be a big mess.
Obviously, he is looking for business himself but it is something to think about.

Thanks for asking, RJ! It thawed and wasn't broken. We got very lucky!

My sons in Bama huntin....he said it's kinda chilly up yunner.

It is. My personal thermostat has been reset. It's 62 in here and I'm not cold. 2 weeks ago, I would have been freezing. I still object that we didn't have any snow to enjoy when it was much colder. Totally not fair. We could have done some serious sledding, tubing.

It's 42 again this morning, it did get up to 62 in the later afternoon yesterday, so did a walk around the garden to check out the plants. My covering really helped out my hummingbird plants, parts that weren't covered are already brown, but the covered part nice and green with flowers.

My Jeep has heated seats, in the 14 years I've owned it, think I only had to use the heat maybe every 3 or 4 years, mostly when we were up north camping, but it got used these past few days.

Looking forward to possible 70 degrees today.

I have to admit that I disliked the one day we didn't get out of the 40's, it was really COLD! I enjoy cold nights for sleeping with the window open but I really want daytime temps at least in the low to mid 70's! It's currently 56º here and we're supposed to have a high of 76º today!

LOL, it seems that the older I get, I'm not handling temperatures that are below my age!

plantladylin said:

LOL, it seems that the older I get, I'm not handling temperatures that are below my age!

Me too

Me three

Me 4.....we got enough fer a poker game.

I have always hated cold weather but I find this crazy business of covering or hauling plants in and out due to the cold a real pain also. Fortunately our son and DIL are here today and they moved everything outside for us this morning.

I lost power at about 1:20 am Christmas eve ....was out about 4 1/2 hours. To be honest didn't have the heart to check the GH and potting shed until yesterday. Well I guess the heater couldn't keep up with the hard freeze temps in the GH...potting shed faired better. My large angel wing begonias are mush 😥😥 as well as half a large gollum jade. Oh well...hopefully stuff that suffered will come back from the roots. The holiday cacti are inside and blooming. A bright spot.
Bailey was funny...tried to put a fleece lined jacket on her...NO WAY...it was all out tug of war. I did manage a light sweater...she was NOT impressed!!! 🤣🤣

purpleinopp said: Well frozen is the right word up here. Our hot water in the kitchen is frozen and it's down to 58 inside the sitting room. There are icicles in the kitchen on the inside & outside of the windows. Brrr!

I know how you feel! A few mornings ago, my sister could see her breath in the house. It was -24F outside at the time, and all the windows were frozen over. 🥶

I had no idea you Floridians were experiencing a freeze! I really hope your plants pull through. The cats and dogs should be fine. We have a cat and she actually enjoys being outside in 20-15F weather, but no lower. She likes it because then she can kill the voles which are trying to get warm underground.

And one bit of advice is that if there is ice on the roads, BE SUPER CAREFUL. We're from CA, zone 10, where of course we never had to deal with icy roads. But when we came here, there have been a couple of times where one or more of the family members slid off the road. Now, we're used to it, but it's mighty different and unusual at first.

Warm wishes from SD,
Johannian

Ugh, so sorry, Ginger! That was a really cold time for it to go out. I'm happy to share the Begonias I have. Let us know which ones don't come back.

Ginger, the begonias will come back, mine are in the ground and they come back each year.

Thanks, Tiffany! With the exception of the angel wing all mine are/were just generic like the ones you pulled up in front of my house.

Aha. I was thinking they were B. grandis but never was sure. I think I put them in too much sun when I got home. They didn't see the end of July.

Actually I have no clue on those. Don't remember where or when I got them...just kept whacking on them. The ones you got self showed there.

Ginger, are you N.Fla or S.Bama......bout the same thang.....it gits colder thana ......oh never mind, theres ladies present. But it do git cold. When i wus truckin i would take 75 to 10 to 231 an go into Dothan.