Weather

 I think I might have mentioned that I have temperature / weather whiplash.  Last weekend it was hot.  Yes, that dreaded "h" word.   I've been quite vocal throughout my life at my inability to tolerate heat very well.  Not something that I can control, I just came this way.  

So, last weekend was hot.  The previous few days were quite chilly, including the nights when the furnaces had to be on again.  I'm digging in my heels about turning on the air.  Just refuse to do it when the furnaces are still on.  So we're whiny during the day and shivering under the covers at night. Sigh....

Then it cooled down to a comfortable temperature.  Last night came the warning:  cover your tomatoes and other fragile plants.  We have a bunch of tomato plants that are struggling, I'm just leaving them in the garden until it's obviously to everyone they are completely dead.  We bought a couple to replace them.  Not yet planted, figured we'd just bring them inside on the cold nights.  But seriously, it's after Mother's day, it's supposed to be warm enough even at night for plant-lings.  Bringing in the plants not yet in the ground doesn't address those previously planted ones. 

Plants all protected. 

So, out we went.  In the wind (had a high wind warning in addition to the cold temp warning).  In the dirt and dust all over.  The wind was out of the north.  The neighbors next door to the north of us are putting in a pool.  Eventually.  In the meantime it's non-stop digging.  Then some bright worker decided to go out and blow the dirt off their driveway with a blower.  In the heavy wind.  Blowing south. Right in our faces- a massive dust cloud. I'm going to struggle through their construction process.  (They're oblivious to the impact we're experiencing - all the big dump trucks and other assorted vehicles constantly lined up across our front.  Our previous neighbors would have come over and chatted with us and apologized in advance for the disruption (a mild word for a huge effect).  Some people are just more aware and kind, I guess.)

After a bunch of wrangling we finally managed to get the plastic tarp over the entire tomato bed.  The corn and carrot sprouts will be ok on their own, I think.  The buckets and bricks came out for the melons and cucumbers. 

This morning's temps weren't quite as low here at our house as they'd predicted.  Tonight and tomorrow are supposed to be much colder.  

The Husband has removed the buckets so the little plants will get some sun today.  Then back they'll go tonight.  The plastic over the tomatoes will act as a make-shift greenhouse, at least that's the theory.  I've often over the years wondered how an actual greenhouse (small, of course) would work for us, if we could manage to have some produce a bit earlier or even through the winter. 

I approached the whole subject from a different angle last night:  maybe we should just abandon the garden for this year.  The response was almost vehement.  The Husband wants the garden.  And so he shall have it. 😍