Freeze coming... what to do? Part Two

We may be in for a cold hard winter this year. I saw Robins last week which is very unusual for this time of year in Central Texas. Some years we never see any and when we do it's in January or February. All my kittys have heavy fur already.

I should go find some horses to see how much they've haired up. That would be another indicator to the severity of winter like your cats.

We just got another cord of seasoned wood for the wood stove. I think it will all get burned. I burned a cord last year. I really think I will be burning more this year.

I will probably use quite a bit of propane for the GH heater too. It'a worth it. I have flowers in the GH and they look so pretty with the gray skies and cheerful with the cold temps.

We had a gorgeous sunrise this am. Oranges, corals, pinks and blues.

Strangest thing here with no explanation. We are seeing tufted titmouse birds at the feeder and the bird bath. I have seen them in the Hill Country Area of Texas but never here in North Central Texas. Saw them as late as this morning.

Christi

We have titmice all year round here. They love my sunflower seed. They pull out the coconut fibers from my hanging planters in the spring to make their nests with.

We do too. This past summer I rescued one many times from the screened back porch. I think it would get in thru the pet door. When I would pick him up, he would nabbed hard! Always surprised me. Surprised me too that he never learned.

Yesterday was the first brilliant yellow finch for the season. Of course I am not home most days so they may have been at the feeders for a while.

Picture of my guest cabin taken 1-17-07. Not looking forward to this again this year, but will not be surprised if we get something like it.

Oh! Now that's not nice! Brrrr... It is mid 60s and windy here. I just went out to the plant shelter to take this photo to thaw us out again. Boy did it ever smell wonderful in there!

Thanks podster for the pic. I have heard Texas can get some ice storms. That's why we bought our wood stove. It's a cook stove. So if there is an ice storm we have heat and ability to cook as the power would be out. I don't want to do that.

We have had snow the last two years though. Both spring snows. Very pretty and I enjoyed in that we only had snow one time in the 27 years I lived in Florida.

My husband said he saw some horsed over the weekend that were haired up real good. I do believe we may have the coldest winter yet since we moved here in 2005. Grew up in Amarillo. Now that's cold!

I remember that ice storm. It was unreal. We were cut off from the world, couldn't leave (some tried...couldn't make it uphill on thick ice), power out....more ice accumulating all the time. At night, bundled up against the cold, I often couldn't sleep, kept hearing those loud cracks as more tree branches broke. I had never lived anywhere colder than southcentral Texas, so it was really surreal! This pic was before it got so bad I no longer cared about taking pictures.

I bought this place in 1979 and this '07 ice storm broke more tree limbs here than any storm before it.

That ice storm was really widespread last year. The unusual thing is that instead of melting right away, it remained icy cold for two days. The ice didn't start to melt til the beginning of the third day. An oak branch, normally about 4' off the ground, was so ladened with ice it was resting on the ground:

This is a close up of some oak leaves on that branch.

One last one. You can see how thick the ice was on these two plum branches.

Hey all....Growing up here I've been through many, many ice storms, but I've never once been without electricity even during the worst of them...I guess we are very lucky here. When ya'll were talking about the pipe insulation, I thought you meant the long black "sticks" that just slide onto the pipe, not pipe wrap tape? I already have some and they would be perfect for sliding quickly around a brug with no wrapping or taping.

The Brug bags are just super. No wrapping and unwrapping at all. I slipped them on and left for several days, slipped them off, back on tomorrow. I'm not even tying around the bottom now, just leaving it loose. My brugs are all doing wonderfully, still green and each about 5 ft. tall. (no leaves, I cut them off) And we had at least one night int he 20's.

Karen, I was looking for something like the black stuff, but I couldn't find what I wanted. What I came home with was a roll in a package, just a long strip. I think it was $3.50 for 25 feet, or something like that. I just tore off manageable lengths and wrapped it around the trunks. It's fluffy, like batting or insulation. You can tie it, sort of, but I ended up just tucking in the ends. You can double- or triple wrap if you want. The only brugs I have in the ground are babies , 2-3 feet or less, so just one package got them all very snug.

Next year I'll try to do something more like the bags, but I ran out of time this year. I'm thinking bags would be good for pots, too. I have some plants that are hardy in 8b or 9a, but not here. Seems like with mulch and just a little insulation around the pots, they'd probably do okay here too.

Anyway, I have to do something different! There's no room left in my kitchen, dining room, or garage.

that sounds good too pbtxlady! I'll have to try that too. Well, it was about 71 here today, and tonights forcast says 34 with snow/sleet, LOL! No wonder my daughter and everyone else around here is sick...Texas hot and cold fluctuations, gotta love it~

I was here in 2007 and we didn't get that ice storm, thank God. But I hear Texas can have some bad ones. Veronica, just looking at your pics makes me cold BRRRR.

We only got up to 64 today, before noon, and the temps have been falling since. The wind is horribly cold. I have my big pots mulched around and in the pot and covered. The GH will be heated for sure tonight and tomorrow. It has started raining here again. It's in the 40's here right now.

The birds were frantically eating all day. I went and got more feeders for the goldfinches and thistle. That stuff has gotten expensive. Anyway, I knew it was going to be cold because they were eating everything including the suets.

Had the same with the birds today. You are right about the thistle seed. It is more than double last year. Are they making fuel out of it or something? Lots of birds at the fountain too.

The bluebirds were in and out of their box all day too. They huddle together in there at night to keep warm.

It is so bitterly cold outside with the wind. Wind chill is at 28. The outside temp is 41. I have to go out in it later to light the propane heater in the GH. BRRR I'm shivering just thinking about it.

Turned my heaters on about dark. Easier to hold the heat than to have to warm up from extreme cold.

Take care of yourself.

That's true. I will put mine on about 10:00. I just want to conserve on gas. The GH stays between 46 and 52 when the temps are below freezing. It starts heating up within five minutes. The GH is only 6x8 and is full of plants, so it doesn't take much to heat it up.

It is 34 at 10:15 pm! I brought all my tomatoes and varies other plants in the house again. This time I have put them in a more "permanant" location, my library. Last weekend I had them all in the kitchen and my white currant tomato was blooming for the first time. I had "flicked" the blooms to get them to set fruit and I came downstairs in the AM and the rabbit had eaten all the blooms off! Now I guess I need to get a grow light for my library. That just sounds wrong. Keep warm everybody!

Well, I don't know exactly how cold it got here last night. But I went out earlier in the day with no jacket and barefoot, for just a minute to check on things, and it was only slightly uncomfortable. Went out later to help my son with the leaves, and it was bitter! Then last evening we got ice pellets, snow, and sleet.

Right now it's 32 with a wind chill of 22. Guess winter is really here. :( Sure wish I'd gotten all the Christmas lights up over the weekend!

Good Morning, John!

Working on the farm has its moments. Glad I ain't doing this for income.

It will be cold today working on the garden fence.

Started working on the garden fence this past September, but just couldn't wait until the new fence up was before planting something...onions, shallots, leaks, chives, & garlic.

This message was edited Dec 10, 2008 11:18 AM

Wish there was a fire under that old cast iron wash pot. Is it time for hog killing, yet?

I might take the day off from working on the garden fence and spend it at my guest cabin watching movies and eating pizza.

I am envious of your home in the Hill Country. We are RVers and have spent many vacations at the campgrounds near Gruene. Love to watch the sunset on the dam on Canyon Lake. Love the cedar posts. Did you peel them yourself? What are you planning for the one with the limbs still on the top?

Whoops, I've done it again. OT.

Sorry, guys.

Christi

Yes, the posts were cut here and I peeled them.

Haven't decided what I will do with the tops, yet...maybe leave them on the posts to hang pottery bird houses from or cut them off and use them for stools or bases for small tables/plant stands.

Wow texasrockgarden, you have been busy:) I won't be planting anything till spring! Well, I take that back, did plant some garlic and beets which are doing nicely so far!

I did get a nice package of seeds from Lorraine @ DG and look forward to planting them!!! If there are any other NEWBIES out there that haven't been to the Seed Trading Forum yet, get over there and get yourself some freebie seeds!! I am thrilled with mine!!!

The posts with tops are really unique. The part of the world you are in, I'm sure there is a ready market. Take them to Gruene and they will sell before you get out of the door.
I know I would buy 2 or 3.

Christi

It only got down to 35 last night but never got past 37 today. I've been feeding the wood stove all day. The GH has been in the 40's all day without the heater. It is dropping now though. Will be turning the heater on most ricky tick. It is sleeting right now.

By the weekend we will be in the 70's. I will bring my plants out of the GH to stretch and get some fresh air.

We love to rv too. We have only gotten to Lake Summerville for the Round Top spring flea market. Love the Hill Country and hope to stay there next year. Gas prices got so high we limited ourselves to within 100 miles of home. There are many state parks within that range.

My daughter just called and said it was snowing on the west side of town. I love Texas weather.

That would be nice TX. My GH is only 6x8 and the plants aren't the big ones. They are hanging surfinias and potted calibrochoas, geraniums, roses, mums, cannas, bouganvillia, poinsettias. My bigger plants, two brugs and an egg tree are in my husband's workshop. The really big potted butterfly bushes are mulched around the pots to the top and inside, then covered with a sheet. So far they have held up. I hope to put them in the ground in the spring.

The ferns, hydrangeas and begonias and one big bouganvillia are on the front porch covered. Next year I hope to have the old shed converted to a GH so I don't have to have plants on the porch. Then I would like to see the walls come down in nice weather and go back up in cold. You have the idea, design one. ;)

BTW, patent your gh model. That sounds like a great idea!!! ^_^

I can't believe the snow here! Which state am I in a again? People are out making real snowmen, not those mini ice sculptures. Temp is 36 and falling.

yep, we got snow 25 minutes ago and it's still falling. That's the nice thing about Texas. It never gets boring here. Except maybe in the triple digit days of summer.

It's similiar here, it's going to be nastily wet and cold tomorrow as I understood it! Yikes! Temp. will increases a couple degree higher than the lowest point tonight, likely snow-weather!

In 1973 or so we got snow in Montgomery Al. Alot of snow. That was the one and only time in the three years we lived there. But my parents got ice storms there in the 80's.