The New Normal (here's 15 characters*)

5 years ago

When I moved to this area 45 years ago, it was zone 5. In fact, the coldest temps I've ever experienced were Christmas Eve 1983--fell to 30 below, and winter days for weeks on end would never get much above the teens and night temps well below zero.

So now it's Jan 1, 2019 and it's so warm that I haven't had a fire in two days (I heat with wood), last night it was over 50. Snowdrops are in bud all over the yard, and other bulbs are pushing up. It's been like this the last few years. Some years we're almost zone 7, and we're pretty much always zone 6. Of course, the ups and downs of crazy climate include spring coming much too early for these mountains--last February we had almost 2 weeks of temps in the 70s before it got quite cold again. I lost a lot of shrubs, most mourned a bear berry, Arctostaphyllos uva-ursi, that was almost 20 feet across. Some of it survived but the whole thing looks so dreadful even after a full season that I'm contemplating removing what's left. I'm almost 74 and it won't recover in my lifetime.

Happy New Year anyway.

*Why the hell does Houzz need the title to have 15 characters?

Featured Answer

laceyvail 6A, WV
Original Author

5 years ago

Yes, I miss winter too. And I've seen several mosquitoes in the last few weeks. And rain, OMG.! The last few years we have had torrential rains of Biblical proportions--very localized with very localized flooding in places in these hills and mountains that have never, ever flooded.

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Comments (8)

mxk3 z5b_MI
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Yea...I hear ya'. DH and I were just talking about "when we were kids" winters this morning....
Jeff Singleton
5 years ago
I saw a mosquito flying around this morning (Jan. 1!) in my peach orchard (in Maine!).
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laceyvail 6A, WV
Original Author
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We used to have beautiful autumns here too. By early Sept, nights were nippy enough to warrant a fire, and we often had frost around Sept 15. Great fall color too. Now it stays so warm, hot actually--sometimes near 80--well into November that we get no fall color. The leaves just eventually fall off, half green half brown. And we often don't get frost at all, just a hard freeze in early Nov. Then warm nights again.

The New Normal (here's 15 characters*)

laceyvail 6A, WV
Original Author

Comments (8)

mxk3 z5b_MI

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The New Normal (here's 15 characters*)

laceyvail 6A, WVOriginal Author

Comments (8)

mxk3 z5b_MI

Jeff Singleton

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cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)

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laceyvail 6A, WVOriginal Author

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laceyvail 6A, WV
Original Author

laceyvail 6A, WV
Original Author