Though temps are well below normal here 'again' I'm not complaining yet. I still have (about) my whole winter chore list to do. Where has the winter gone? I have all my seeds spread out on the diningroom table going thur them. Trolling...stalking seed exchanges and websites....like I need another dang seed! But Oh Boy! Could I do some more damage w/ the cc.....I Will Not Buy More Seeds...I Will Not Buy More Seeds! I Will Not...I WILL NOT! Yeah, well check this site out for some real eye candy. Fragrant Garden Nursery Here is an old thread that has the descriptions to many that are sold at the link above. Any Sweet Pea lovers/addicts/collectors here maybe? Then there is Daffseek If you are not very familiar with daffs, just choose a division number in the drop down box (1 thru 13) and check the box to find only with photos. Being a new daff collector/addict, I can spend hours there just looking at daff pics. Sue...who needs to work on her winter To-Do list today for sure Plan your trip Local Radar Detailed Forecast Here is a link that might be useful: scroll down to get weather sticker for forums or your home page

Our weather is never a constant here along the Front Range of Colorado. This morning was 12º at my house, this afternoon it's close to 50º. Along with much of the western U.S., we can have diurnal temperature ranges that are further apart than many places in the eastern half of the country see in an entire winter season. I've seen swings of as much as 60º-70º in 24-36 hours, with 40º-50º diurnal ranges very common. We can thank the extremely dry air and high altitude for that. I never put my cart before the horse, regardless of long-range forecasts. I seed start a few things now, a few things in February, start my spring greens and radishes in March, start tomatoes and transplant fruit plants (strawberries, trees, etc.) in early April before they wake up, and then transplant summer veggies outdoors in mid-late May. Each spring presents all types of issues, but most are remedied with a close eye on the short-term forecasts and having protective materials at the ready and plans in place. We're usually safe from cold once we get past May 25th or so, but then we're right in the middle of hail season, so we never really get too comfy. I'm glad it's just a hobby for me and not a living. The stress would've killed me in the first 10 minutes my first season.

Mary, I've had the AC on several times in January. We hit the lower to upper 70s several times in January and the house seems to heat up fast. I'd rather run the AC a little than be hot. On the other hand, the furnace certainly has not been overworked this winter. It is sad that we're using the AC in January and February, which used to be simply unthinkable, but with the weather we're getting....well, it is what it is. I don't like for it to be this warm in January/February. While it feels great, it also makes fruit trees bloom too early, and can be a sign (though not always) that a rough spring/summer lie ahead. Our cool-season is so short already that I hate to lose any portion of it to hotter temperatures. Dawn

Rebecca, Ouch. That limb was bigger than how I pictured it. I hope the plants underneath it were okay. Bon, We got 0.12", which when added to previous rain received last week added up to 0.72". It wasn't much, but it sure was better than a big fat zero. I'm over and done with wishing for rain. It's not falling, and I'm not gonna sit around expecting it. I need to get over expecting it and wishing and hoping for it and just move on and focus on what we are getting---sunshine. lol. The Red River today is up and running like mad, thanks to all the rain that fell to our west. That's good news for Lake Texoma as it has been kinda low in recent months. Bon, Except at my urging (and by urging I mean constant nagging for a very long period of time until he cannot ignore it any longer), my DH doesn't handle trees at all--he just waits for trees or branches to fall. It drives me nuts. I'd be more proactive if I was the chainsaw person. (Being kultzy, I want no part of the chain saw.) Jack, RIP to Rocket. It sounds so much like he didn't want to go, and I think it is clear that he loved you so much that he would have endured more pain to stay with you longer, and (fortunately for him) you loved him so much that you would not allow him to go on enduring that pain. You're my hero for that. I hope he rests well there beside Smokey. Everyone but me got good rain. I'm paying now for getting extraordinary rain in 2015. I know the time would come that we'd have to pay the piper. It is here. I'm not lying, though, when I say that even though we still need rain in the worst possible way, it also is a relief to not be dealing with mud, floods, washed-out roads and such. There's an upside to everything, and I guess that's the upside to not getting rain. How's your garden doing up there? Dawn