Christin, there's a difference between mulching and leaving the remains of a plant in place until new growth emerges in spring :-) Mulching can very well make a difference in protecting marginal plants because it does afford insulation - certainly to the soil (which will help with roots) and perhaps even to the crown if you pile mulch over the top of it. But it's not a guarantee and it may work very well on some plants and not so well on others. Leaving old stems, dried flower stalks, etc. in place just doesn't have the same effect. I don't know of any good reasons NOT to mulch :-) It is a soil insulator, moderating against temperature extremes in both winter (heaving due to freeze/thaw) and summer. It will provide protection against erosion both from heavy rainfall and your own irrigation. It supresses weeds and if you use an organic mulch, it will add to soil texture and provide nutrients as it decomposes. It encourages beneficial organisms and can help prevent reinfecting plants with diseases by not allowing fungal spores, etc. to splash up on the foliage. There are some drawbacks, primarily that it provides a safe/secure environment for some pests to hide or overwinter in, but those can be successfully addressed rather easily. If organic, it needs to be replaced on a fairly regular basis and if inorganic, it's a PITA to keep it tidy and debris out of it. What is the most effective method of mulching, material to use and when to do is going to vary a lot by garden and location. And what you are trying to protect. For the most part, I never mulch over the crown of any plant for winter protection simply because my climate does not require it, although this is a very common practice in colder climates. Marginal or not fully hardy plants get any necessary protection by growing them in containers and overwintering them in safe place or sometimes, piling loose leaves around them. IME, having good drainage affords a more reliable method of protection, as the combination of cold and wet is typically the kicker, not just the cold. So to respond to your statement that no amount of mulching/covering will save a plant from death by cold, because that is only topical cover and will not protect the roots of the plant, I'd say that is not true most of the time :-) It depends.....on the plant, the location, the soil conditions, the severity of the winter and any specific microclimate that might be involved. Mulch can and does protect against cold but it is not a guarantee, especially for marginally hardy plants.

DH isn't out of town as often as he used to be, and I realize it isn't the same as full time cooking for one, but what I would do those weeks is treat myself, make things he doesn't like. Mac and cheese, grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches, or the other end of the scale - lobster tail for one, and a salad with vinaigrette or ranch for a change from his beloved blue cheese :) I have to tell you about my neighbor though because I admire her attitude and spirit so much. And while she is slowing down she is still one of the most physically strong (bones, muscle, gorgeous skin) 86 yr old women I know. C was widowed at 57 and has lived alone since. She cooks three times a day, partly because she enjoys food (all food, in moderate serving sizes) and she enjoys cooking. She also thinks she deserves to eat well. A hot breakfast most days and always well balanced. Sometimes simple lunch, but always with a salad or fruit plate, or fruit on low fat yogurt or cottage cheese on the side. I can't begin to tell you how many times we will talk over the fence and she's planning the same dinner that I am. We both shop from the weekly specials, she'll make Navy beans with ham, a pork roast, spareribs, oven baked halibut, many of the things I cook for two, or two plus guests. she never skimps on side dishes and will have AT LEAST one fresh vegetable with her dinner. Of course she has her entree for lunch the next day and a second dinner, is faithful about wrapping promptly and freezing for that week she may have a cold, or wants to garden and not be in the kitchen...really, just amazing. I know she is probably the exception, but proof it can be done without resorting to take out. She manages all those wonderful and fresh ingredients on a very tiny budget too by shopping carefully, makes that SS check really stretch.

When my FIL died, our next door neighbor brought us a huge pan of baked ziti with meat sauce and cheese. It was a godsend. We were running here and there, not home at regular times for regular meals, didn't feel like cooking anyway. It was wonderful to have something like that (that's pretty much a meal in itself) in the fridge. We'd just plop a bit on a plate, zap it and eat. I'd recommend something along those lines. Baked ziti is easier to throw together than a lasagna, I think. And will be such a help in the coming days when a fuss-free meal may be all they want to cope with. Oddly, when my mom died 2 years ago, we had different neighbors in the house next door, and THEY brought us a pan of baked ziti. It was an incredible (and appreciated) coincidence--guess it's becoming standard bereavement food.

In my state, homes are not considered debts. They are investments. A very good friend of mine's mother died when she was 15. No will. So, in my state, everything goes to surviving spouse. This included her share of the home. He re-married several years later and never had any additional children; just the 3 from his deceased wife. They lived in HIS home (same home he had with deceased wife). He died very very suddenly of a blood infection that the doctors weren't able find until after he died. No will. So the home went to Probate. Probate ordered that the home belonged to the 3 children in equal shares since the home belonged to the father and the mother before the mother died. BUT the court ordered that the wife could live in the home as long as she wants so long as she makes the payments and doesn't default. There is a legal term for it, but I can't remember it right now. She cannot profit off the house whatsoever. BUT, she did get 100% of the profits of the sale of his business and all the equipment.