Good morning, and Happy Solstice! Welcome to Saturday Morning Garden Blogging.
Denver has enjoyed some wonderfully Christmassy weather for the past couple of days — not like last year's blast) thank gawd — but it's been seasonably cold (that means highs in the 40s, and lows in the teens and 20s), and yesterday we got a light dustings of snow.
We might get a little more snow tomorrow and — gasp! — may even have a picture-perfect snowfall on Christmas morning. Not enough to cause travel problems, but just enough to add sparkle to the day. All in all, pretty damned perfect.
But the best part of the season is knowing that we have reached the depth of darkness, and will now head uphill towards the long, sunny days of summer. It a mere two months I'll be waiting for the first crocus to bloom, rapidly followed by daffodils, hyacinth and tulips. The time for planning the plantings, ordering the seeds, and dreaming of warmer days.
We're all set for Christmas here at Casa de Frankenoid. Da Boys are off school until after New Year's Day (whoo hoo! No homework to get them through!) The Roast Beast is in the refrigerator ready to be cooked (a gawdawful expensive beef tenderloin roast). The last moose has been purchased (the count is now up to... uhm... 33?; I found one at the grocery store yesterday). Well, except I forgot to buy orange jello for orange sherbet jello salad. Guess I'll send one of Da Boys on a walk over to the grocery store.
The presents are wrapped. The candy dishes are full (had to make a run for chocolates yesterday... it's amazing how many Lindt chocolate truffles a 14 y/o boy can inhale) — with reserves stashed away. The fruit bowl is full (it's also amazing how much fruit a 14 y/o boy can inhale on top of all that chocolate) — with reserves stashed away.
I've dead-mouse toys marinating in Cosmic Catnip so the pooties can have some Christmas fun, too. Although they've already been having a lot of fun, taking ornaments off the tree. This year, though, I've found some wonderful ornaments that are just perfect for pooties: they look like glass, but actually are plastic. And the watering system described last week is working wonderfully: no fir needles in my hair, and pooties have an ever-filled cache of Christmas tree water.
Later today, I'll be crawling down into the cold storage area and assembling some forced hyacinth containers for some neighborly last minute gifting. I think I hit on a real winner with this one, although the truth won't be known until I get the final reports from the out-of-state recipients: did the bulbs arrive unfrozen? Did they bloom well?
The Mister has yet to get the new computer we got for his mother down to Pueblo; he's put the trip off for two weekends now, but (hopefully) will take it down today or tomorrow. We really need to get that stack of boxes out of the study — to make room for new piles of Christmas stuff!
We've a stash of firewood in the basement, and the recent weather patterns have resulted in good air quality days, so we are allowed to have a fire in the fireplace. The candleholders are full of wonderfully scented candles, ready for lighting. Cider is waiting an infusion of clove and cinnamon and warming on the stove, adding to the mélange of scents filling the house.
Yes, it's the weekend before Christmas, and all through the house... Da Boys are jumping out of their skins wondering just what is in all those packages under the tree; and just what will "Santa Claus" bring them; and just how much money is contained in those envelopes that have arrived from far-flung aunties and uncles?
We'll likely spend much of today watching Christmas DVDs, and tomorrow or Monday we'll go see Sweeney Todd. The work is done, and all that is left is enjoying the holiday.
That's what's happening here. What's going on in your gardens?