New England Jan 2018

Hey guys, its the New Year.  Wishing you a wonderful one.

I've already rec'd a few seed catalogs and you know it makes me crazy since I don't have a garden any longer. I've been drooling over some of the seeds I'd love to start this year.
Have a good time my friends, getting your seeds started in the next month or so.

Awww....thanks, QB!

Heads up, New England...
Job Lot has 2018 Burpee seeds for 60% off for insiders today and tomorrow. If you're not an insider, you can sign on at check out. All the deals you get as an insider are worth it.

I am a few weeks behind you guys...but we are buried in snow and freezing temps so just catalog dreaming at the present!

CapeCoddess wrote:Awww....thanks, QB!

Heads up, New England...
Job Lot has 2018 Burpee seeds for 60% off for insiders today and tomorrow.  If you're not an insider, you can sign on at check out.  All the deals you get as an insider are worth it.

Hey neighbor! Thinking of you today with the wind howling and the snow flying. I know you're supposed to get the worst of it out there on the Cape, and I'm hoping you're safe and sound...and warm. I've got the snowblower gassed up, and the kerosene heater ready to go in case we lose power. They say if that happens, not to expect it back any time soon, because they can't safely have the guys out in the bucket trucks in this wind. Ahh, New England winters! 

We're not supposed to get it as bad as you two, and Maine is likely to get throttled. I am going to wait another hour before I snow blow, hopefully it will only leave a inch or so, just in case we get any sleet or freezing rain before the big chill sets in. Please stay safe and stay off the roads, and keep the fires burning.

bigdogrock wrote:We're not supposed to get it as bad as you two, and Maine is likely to get throttled. I am going to wait another hour before I snow blow, hopefully it will only leave a inch or so, just in case we get any sleet or freezing rain before the big chill sets in. Please stay safe and stay off the roads, and keep the fires burning.

Glad you're not going to get hammered. Be sure to bundle up before you go out there. I just finished one pass of the snowblower. I like to get to the pile the snow plow leaves at the end of the driveway as soon as possible before it freezes solid and I can't move it. There was about fourteen inches or so in the driveway, but it's impossible to tell if that much has fallen, or if it's just been blown there, because the wind is so wicked. I snowblow with a hat pulled down to my eyebrows, a scarf tied around my face, up to my eyes, and my hood over all of that, and I still had so much snow blowing into my eyes that it made things really difficult. I'm inside now, drinking some hot chai, and trying to decide if I should make the next pass later, when the snow stops, or wait til morning. Brrrrrr!!!!! I shouldn't complain too much, I remember the years before I had a snow blower and I used to be out there for hours, shoveling away. I'm getting too old for this! Maybe I should hitch the chihuahua and the cat up to the snowblower, and let them pull me around. LOL                                                                           

Looks like the snow has stopped. We accumulated 13" (33cm) and the wind is picking up, we have three foot snow drifts (a little under a meter), and the temperature is 15°F (9.4°C).
 Yup, gonna be a chilly one tonight.
Now if we can make it through without losing power I will be extremely happy.

GBea, please post something so we know you are OK.

HGal and CapeC, how ya doin'?

Hey guys!  Stay safe, and as warm as modern clothing will allow!

bigdogrock wrote:Looks like the snow has stopped. We accumulated 13" (33cm) and the wind is picking up, we have three foot snow drifts (a little under a meter), and the temperature is 15°F (9.4°C).
 Yup, gonna be a chilly one tonight.
Now if we can make it through without losing power I will be extremely happy.

GBea, please post something so we know you are OK.

HGal and CapeC, how ya doin'?

Sounds like you fared about as well as we did here. I was guessing at 14 inches in the driveway, but it's hard to tell how much we got overall, because there was so much blowing and drifting. After my first round with the snowblower, I decided to wait to finish up until today. This morning the sun is shining, and although it's only 10 degrees, somehow it won't feel as bad as snowblowing in the dark and the howling wind. I'm glad that neither of us lost power, that would have been a whole other kind of awful.

Qbea in southwestern Maine should have fared better than along the coast, with this being a nor'easter. Hopefully, that was true. The Cape caught it really hard, with lots of flooding, so hopefully CCodess is high and dry. Sending good thoughts to them.

I'm still waitin' for them both to post.

Sorry I didn't get back sooner.  No probs.  We had lots of snow but no power outages.  Last count was 15" in our back garden.  The river flows pretty fast but except for the center where it flows fastest, it was frozen over.


This below is our garden path just after being snow blowed.


They had less snow along the coast.  Only about 10" in the big city of Portland with inland getting the brunt of the snowstorm.
Dropping temps this weekend will put us in another deep freeze.  Gosh, those seed catalogs are looking good.
The photos are really slow today to post. Check back later.

QuiltBea wrote:The photos are really slow today to post.

I thought it was just me.   

Doesn't look like you'll be doing much gardening today, QB.   Your deep-freeze for this weekend made the national news. Hope you can stay home and not go out in it. I really feel bad for first responders in these conditions.

countrynaturals wrote:

QuiltBea wrote:The photos are really slow today to post.

I thought it was just me.   ...

I noticed that starting yesterday. As well I am not seeing the weather stickers at the bottom of posts. I checked the Forumotion (where the forum is hosted) Support page and there are a couple of other forums experiencing slow photo loads.

QB, Your place has the nicest views.

trolleydriver wrote:

countrynaturals wrote:

QuiltBea wrote:The photos are really slow today to post.

I thought it was just me.   ...

I noticed that starting yesterday. As well I am not seeing the weather stickers at the bottom of posts. I checked the Forumotion (where the forum is hosted) Support page and there are a couple of other forums experiencing slow photo loads.

Seems to be OK now. Photos pop up quickly and the weather stickers are showing as well. I noticed earlier when I went directly (not through this forum) to the Weather Underground stickers page, none of the stickers were being displayed. They are now so I'm wondering if the problem was caused by Weather Underground.

I'm thinking this blasted cold weather is causing some kind of disruption in the computer airwaves or whatever they are called. I've been noticing slow motion on some other forums and even my own email account. My Solitaire game even took lots of time to upload and that's usually a quick thing.
Whatever it is, I'll blame it on the weather.
We'll see a few warmer days this week so that's a plus.
Stay warm everyone. Make your lists of seeds from those new catalogs coming in the mail.

quiltbea wrote:I'm thinking this blasted cold weather is causing some kind of disruption in the computer airwaves or whatever they are called.  I've been noticing slow motion on some other forums and even my own email account.  My Solitaire game even took lots of time to upload and that's usually a quick thing.
Whatever it is, I'll blame it on the weather.
We'll see a few warmer days this week so that's a plus.
Stay warm everyone.  Make your lists of seeds from those new catalogs coming in the mail.  

The only good thing I can think of resulting from this extended period of wickedly cold weather, is that it will hopefully take care of some of those darn ticks we had such a problem with last year. I heard it blamed on the fact that we had a milder than normal winter last year. I hate the idea of the iguanas freezing and falling out of the trees in Florida, but I have to admit, the idea of the same thing happening to those dastardly ticks, brings a smile to my face, and warms my heart.

But a warm heart doesn't do anything for the rest of me...Canada, close your back door!!! It's -13 this morning. We like it when you leave the door open in summer, but in winter you can keep all the cold air up there to yourselves to freeze all the outdoor hockey rinks and keep the Molson's cold without a cooler. Show us some mercy, eh?

Oh my goodness...has it been that long since I posted in the NE thread? Sorry guys...I missed the call to post after that storm. Cape got 1" snow, lots of rain. Then it all froze so lots of ice. And I must say that that deep freeze lasted WAY too long!!! But I didn't lose power!

HG, ...so good to see you around again! Glad all is well out there with you, QB and Big Dog.

We've had weather over freezing this week and so I just tried to pull some SFG carrots that I'd piled high with pine needles. Not a chance. The first half inch of MM is thawed and that's it...rock solid underneath. Oh well, store bought it is. We get so spoiled with our fresh produce...

CapeCoddess wrote:Oh my goodness...has it been that long since I posted in the NE thread?  Sorry guys...I missed the call to post after that storm.  Cape got 1" snow, lots of rain.  Then it all froze so lots of ice.   And I must say that that deep freeze lasted WAY too long!!!  But I didn't lose power!  

HG, ...so good to see you around again!  Glad all is well out there with you, QB and Big Dog.

We've had weather over freezing this week and so I just tried to pull some SFG carrots that I'd piled high with pine needles.  Not a chance.  The first half inch of MM is thawed and that's it...rock solid underneath.   Oh well, store bought it is.  We get so spoiled with our fresh produce...

Glad to hear you're OK. I know the Cape got hit hard, and I was thinking of you. I'm doing well, but friends, not so much. I've been distracted with best friend's husband passing and best friend dealing with health problems of her own. Hopefully, this will be a better year for all of us! We could sure use it, couldn't we?

Just checking in hoping all my gardening buddies are doing well and moving forward thru this nasty winter of snow and ice.
We had icy rain and it made the roads icy and dangerous but I don't have a car any longer so I didn't get out in it, thank goodness.
Took Penny for her early morning walk in the garden but luckily I put my ice cleats back on my boots. It was a glare of ice over a dusting of snow from the nite before. Penny skated a few times, but nothing hurt and I was safe.
Warming up days here lately but nites are still bitter. Makes for tough going on foot.
I hope many of you are starting your seeds for the season. I really miss that step in my gardening. I still get the catalogs and pick and choose a plant here and there and then remember I won't be planting any. Sad state of affairs. Maybe, just maybe, I will get myself a potted tomato or two this year since I gave away all my gardening tools; pots, extra compost, trowel, etc, etc. I see nice pots already started now and then.
Enjoy your seed starting.

Ice cleats! I looked them up and they look like a safe way to walk in the snow.

QB, I thought you had room for some containers?  Howdy!!!  We are holding on in the freeze as well!

Yes, Scorpio, I DO have room for containers but my effort with those last season wasn't good at all.  I had 4 or 5 tomato plants and got very little harvest from any of them.  Even the lettuce pots were a bust.  I couldn't understand it.  I don't know if it was the location or the soil mix, but it wasn't good at all.  I was so fed up with the season that when it was over, I gave away the pots, extra bag of compost, and my garden tools.  It was easier to buy at the local farmer's market.

QB, I'm sorry it didn't work.