Betty, I actually was up at the Silver Spring HD yesterday for something and was thinking about you. I can't see my ziploclk baggies in the backyard - but at least the snow is starting to melt. Until the weather gets a little warmer I won't be working on annuals, so I guess I'm between WS seasons (LOL) I will probably end up with about 250 containers that will have to be planted out. But I do love seeing the little green sprouts! Cheers, Ann

i'm with you, bill. i've had the pleasure of living in climes with year-round summer - and also places with severe winter. i find short, mild winters but with definite seasonal changes suit me best. i grew up on the great plains where trees are an oddity; now i find landscape without them rather barren....and the sight of leaves turning gold and red breathtaking. in cool you look forward to the heat, in the heat you look forward to the cool...always something to anticipate! yup yup... "My goosebumps have goosebumps"...LOL no doubt gurl! start a fire to curl up in front of with your hunney and fix ya up some hot cocoa and marshmellows. we had a cold snap a couple of nights ago. they said it would freeze but i dont believe it did. we stoked up a blaze anyway. love that smell.

Thank you for the replies! I might try this: http://www.amazon.com/CONDITIONER-COVER-Season-Black-Premieraccovers/dp/B003CUPH8K/ref=sr_1_11?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1319757746&sr=1-11 It only covers the top and it's mesh. But, before I order I'll measure the unit and see how much it will cost for the local hardware store to create a plywood top as suggested by tigerdune.

Agmss, I like winter quite a lot. I don't care for spring, here it's gray, wet and muddy, an altogether ugly time of year. Summer is hot and humid and buggy, summer is my least favorite of the seasons. I love autumn and like winter. No rain here, just lots and lots of snow, blowing and drifting. We had rain yesterday, that changed to snow today. Poor horses and cows had icicles hanging from them as the temperatures fell, and I have a calf locked in the barn for weaning so the others couldn't get out of the weather. So Elery and I knocked a few 2x4s onto the end of a hall and made a makeshift "box stall" for the little one and opened the barn up for the other animals. They were very happy to get in before the worst of the storm, which was today. And today I found that the ice had collected on the netting over the chicken's winter run and collapsed the entire thing. (sigh) The hens are inside for the duration of the storm, which is just as well, because it's cold and windy. We had tickets to the Grand Rapids Symphony yesterday and had to default, we would be driving that 60 miles each way in the worst of the storm, and it seemed just kind of.....dumb, you know? I canned 7 quarts of beef broth yesterday and 6 quarts of chicken stock today and made 6 pounds of liverwurst, so I was at least productive. I put a brisket in the oven along with twice baked potatoes and Amanda and Dave came with the kids for supper after Dave plowed the driveway for me. Makayla made a peanut butter pie for dessert. I think I'll bake bread tomorrow. Annie