After spending longer than I intended, reading, a couple of weeks ago, I returned to 'weatherproof' my plants. It had been an interesting afternoon, with the wind blowing gustily, and me thinking, "Now is the time to pack up", only for the gusts to stop and the sun to shine warmly. Edging my way up, I finally ran out of patio, and the sun was no longer available.
At three in the afternoon, it was too early to cover the plants. The sun was still quite prominent in my sunroom and it was still very warm. I arranged, and rearranged all the pots, to keep them in 'groups' and emptied some pots that held dirt and weeds. Finally, I was able to cover the pots and put the special protective material my daughter had bought me (a few years ago) over the little groups I had made. It was all very organised!
Bringing my Maringa plant inside, was my decision. Edgar is now quite tall, and despite having very few leaves, would not have liked the drop in temperature, and it would have been impossible to cover him. Maneuvering him to a place that would accommodate his height, I headed back out to make sure everything was secure. When I left my patio, it was lovely and warm, with a mild breeze.
Around ten in the evening, we heard the not too subtle wrath of the wind. Our doors did not rattle as they had before they were replaced, but we knew it was a good time to be inside! The temperature had started to drop and we were promised a sub-zero start to the morning.
Although there did not seem to be a great deal of damage to our community, our 'Luminaires' would another Christmas not see! Those on my front porch were ripped to shreds. Those across the road had suffered the same fate. Although I did not think the lights would be taken down immediately after 'twelfth night', they would not have been removed before Monday morning. I chose not to take an 'al fresco' exercise, as the 'chill factor' was (reportedly) dangerously low. However, I did have to venture out.
Thankfully, my ability to 'dress for the part' was in tact! Coat, hat, gloves, scarf, boots and a quick hop, skip and jump to the car, saw me on my way. The roads were surprisingly busy, considering the temperature, and work was not slow.
The week, although eventful in many ways, historically, politically, and devastatingly, each adverb being mutually exclusive, was uneventful for me. I plodded through, catching pieces of news, as each of the individual events unfolded, and watched the weather forecast to determine the thickness of coat, or height of boot, and the send of hibernation for my plants. It was 'new year'. Was I happy? I was not unhappy!
Although there appears to be not so much emphasis on the twelve days of Christmas, as the day after sees shelves being stripped of tinsel and baubles, and replaced with hearts and pink and red candy, the second week of the year certainly did not spark any evidence that the general population was ready to head straight into the 'love' season. It was cold! Austinites do not do cold!
We entered another week, and the threat of a winter storm for the following weekend was being strongly hinted. Despite my experience the previous weekend, when you wear short sleeves and the sun is beaming down, making everywhere quite warm, it is still almost impossible to imagine, but imagine I did. Although my plants had survived a couple of sub zero nights, they would not survive the following weekend.
The covers came off my plants, as the temperatures rose, although I noticed that some of my neighbours kept theirs secured. I am still amused as how I find sixty degrees to be chilly, and require a jacket, if not a coat. I wonder if I would acclimatise back so quickly! I think it would be a case of having to do so!
Our Christmas lights were all removed, and all vestige of the holiday season disappeared along with them. The last to go were those at the entrance to our little community, and whilst it is helpful to have them announcing the usually almost hidden ingress, it is also nice to be slightly obscure! No-one takes a wrong turn into our complex, as if you don't know it is here, it is not here! "Perhaps we need a sign, or an arrow" has been thrown around, "Perhaps not!" has been the response. However, Christmas, or at least the Yuletide season was over, and the season of goodwill was replaced with the season of ambivalence. Where is the 'happy'?
January is such an unpredictable month. Sometimes warm, sometimes cold, always slightly underwhelming. After the build up to the end of the year, the 'happy new year' has definitely lost the 'happy' somewhere along the way. It is not that people are miserable, per say, but it is like they all have a hangover and are slightly fragile!
"How was your positively awful surprise trip to Las Vegas?" I asked our office neighbour. He had appeared in the corridor the day before New Years Eve, and announced, with a sense of woe and shoulder weight, that his wife had arranged a surprise visit to the place that is often referred to as 'Sin City'. "Oh no!" I had responded, "How terrible for you! I couldn't think of anything worse!" His response to my question was, at first, a look of intrigue, but then he (presumably) remembered his remark and continued, "It was....awesome!" He was now back at work, and (presumably) the 'happy' new year, to him was just the 'new year'.
As the week progressed, the temperatures rose, and so did the cheer! A little bit of sunshine manages to change everyone's mood.
By the time the weekend arrived, again, coats were left in the cupboard. Although I wore a jacket on Saturday morning, I left it in the car by the time I was at the store. A beautiful afternoon followed, and I caught a few rays whilst reading. I then went about preparing for the cold, again, and once again, I wondered at the heat and glorious sunshine. In came the plants. Covering them was not an option. If the temperatures were going to drop to the sub zero numbers that had been reported, a mere sheet, or even a more substantial shelter would not be enough. I covered my floor with sheets and boxes, and made my kitchen into a temporary greenhouse! Edgar remained on the stairs, oblivious to his peers predicament!
We ventured out for dinner, and by the time we returned, the wind had picked up and as the sun disappeared, so did the heat. By Sunday morning, the sub zero temperatures had returned. Welcome to Texas! Y'all!!
We are heading into the 'real' winter of the season, and the 'new year' has become 'anxious new year', or perhaps 'apprehensive new year'. Happy has not been a word that has been passed around! This coming week will definitely be eventful! Politically, historically....... Monday is a national holiday. It will be below freezing. How will this phenomenon play out in my life? Perhaps ..... another story!
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