Confusing Weather

Yesterday yummy. It got up to 63°, the sun shining, and a lovely blue sky. Unquestionably a perfect spring day. Those Daffodils definitely added to that perfection.

Today was quite a different story. At the crack of dawn the thermometer had fallen to 17°, and the trees were being violently whipped by high winds, as heavy snow plastered anything that got in its way.

By 8:00 am the power at our cabin had succumbed to the extreme weather. Fortunately the cabin has a helper, a generator. It exercises itself every week and is always ready to arrive like Mighty Mouse to save the day. The generator handles everything except the washer and dryer, and the heat pump and air conditioner. A benefit of having no power? A fire in the wood stove. Lovely.

Those Daffodils? The blizzard turned them into a heap of lemon yellow petals and icy white snow. Not to worry though. Daffodils are tough critters. They can take nearly anything that Mother Nature throws their way. By Monday, when temperatures are predicted to be up into the 60s again, they’ll be up and looking quite happy again.

And now, as I sit writing this blog post, the power has been restored, and I’m totally delighted with five inches of snow that has decorated my mountain, looking like someone has poured marshmallow fluff over everything.

They Laugh at Winter

It’s been a mighty cold January. Last night’s low was an invigorating 6°. And yet here they come. Leaves emerging from the soil and soon there will be buds.

Daffodils (Narcissus) are intrepid plants native to southern Europe and North Africa concentrated mainly in the western Mediterranean area.

In the genus Narcissus there are over 50 species, and a multitude of cultivars.

I’ve heard expressions of concern when snow falls on Daffodil blooms but these flowers laugh at such things and keep coming back for more.

Bloom time varies greatly from one cultivar or species to another but I’m anticipating the first flowers to appear here in central Virginia in about a month. And if it snows on them, they’ll just chuckle.