No ice here, thankfully, but Saucy's area keeps coming up on the news as being "worst hit." 1 million people are without power in MA and NH and having been through those areas a lot, the prediction that power will be back on by mid-next week seems optimistic. Yesterday crews from the service side of my work were gathering donations to bring with them: those in-pocket handwarmers, warm socks, plastic bags to use as raingear, candles, hot cocoa and instant coffee mix, little gas grills, anything that might help them and and residents be a bit more comfortable. I'm sure Rich will be getting in touch with some organization to see if he can help in some way -- it's just too close to us to not do anything when we were untouched. Kyle has decided he wants "my people" for his graduation, so I'm digging out old phone numbers and making the pot luck dinner list. This should be quite fun, and today he, Rich and I will collectively decide if his paternal family will be here or if we will have them do their own thing. Two extraordinarily different approaches to celebration mean that "separate" is sometimes the more comfortable way to go. We'll see. Thank You Cindy (I think it was Cindy) who suggested fondue. You have just resolved my "what do I do for breakfast" question since it seems that that's the one Holiday mean for which I'll be responsible. Thinking of using thick French Toast and warm syrup, fruit with lightened chocolate and/or vanilla based dipping sauce...the possibilities are endless. One less thing to think about! LOL, Sue, about the old boyfriend. I'd be nosy too but also be careful, please!!!! It amazed and continues to amaze me how brazen men can be toward recently single women, like we couldn't possibly get along without a "dangler" by our side or at least on call. From experience, don't register on Classmates or any other from-the-past networking site, the loonies will be at your door in a heartbeat. Thanks for the cow tail link, Cynthia, and my god dogs thank you too :-) Did Hope arrive as trained as she is? Re the Topiarys: I still plan to post mine on Dec 20 in anticipation of the Solstice, and hope lots of others join in, semi-leafless or structured plants or not. Just sounds like fun. This weekend will be comprised of a "putz list" of cool stuff I've wanted to do (those Salvias really need to get out of the garage and downstairs) and just kicking back. Wind chills will be in the single digits but heck, why do I have a bathtub with warm water if not to indulge after freezing my keester off to save some random terra cotta?? LOL Waving to all, and really hope that friends to the immediate north are staying warm. Martie

We are having a snowy last day of the year too, and I'd thought it was supposed to be dry and cold until Thursday. This is our third snow for December when some years we get none at all. I had to drive 120 miles to take my mother to the doctor (then back again) in the first one, 100 miles to my sisters Christmas morning in the second...today I have no place I have to be and can just watch it fall while warm and dry. I have one of this years fawns sleeping on my lawn with snow falling on it, and his more experienced Mom laying nearby under a rhododendron :)

The first day it was pretty heavy and looked more like snow, albeit snow with those little white pellets. It looked like someone had split open a bean bag chair and scattered those little white styrofoam pellets everywhere. The last two days there wasn't much, but it shocked me there was any at all. kfrinkle, I was wondering if Durant got anything, and had assumed y'all got more than we did as the heavier band was just east of us. On KXII, the tower cam this morning showed a lot of snow on the ground in Sherman. I understand Graysonn County had a lot of people sliding off the roadways. I am glad we didn't have that here today. oldokie, It is pretty dang cold here but not as cold as it is further north. At our house, we only made it up to 37 degrees for a high, but our low was 24. The sun stayed behind the clouds all day so far, and I think that kept us from warming up more here. I bought three varieties of seed potatoes today and they are sitting in the back corner if the unheated pantry where they'll stay until planting time rolls around. We've had a little over 3.5" of precipitation in the last month, so our soil is too wet to work. I hope it is dry when onion and potato planting time rolls around. Dawn

Thanks guys. Bob - I wouldn't take any chances if I were you in W. Michigan either. We both live in 6b ish zones but your periods of teens and twenties last much longer than mine here in S.Central PA. Better safe than sorry dude. Topher - Normally I'd hate the snow, but its awesome to finally see them covered in it. I guess I don't really hate the snow, its just that ever since I've been into tropical gardening I've come to realize it kind of puts a damper on things. LOL! Jay