I have stuff to cover them with tonight, but it isn't supposed to get anywhere near cold enough to frost tonight. Of course I said that last night. Meh.

The Farmer's Almanac said that the last frost would be 4/15 and not to plant before 4/19. Guess they were right. It was 80 degrees here on Saturday.

I can relate to your sadness. I teared up a little two years ago when our fruit trees were in full bloom, and we had a forecast of hard freeze, it froze, and we had 1 apple that year out of 14 trees! Now we have a strategy that prioritizes certain pollinators, and enough covers to save half.

I went to see Johnny Clegg last night. I read about him many years ago and was very impressed by what he was doing. Trying to make peace with a cultural bridge in a very hard and brutal time in his home country. A country with a hard and brutal past.

I was very impressed and entertained last night. I tend to watch people in the crowd reacting to what's going on on stage. There was a little boy (about 6, 7 (?)) dancing wildly throughout the concert, waaay up in the stands. So good to see such enthusiasm. Brought me right out of my own black hole of the past few weeks.

DH and I really need to get out more.

Dagmar

Thanks for sending me out to learn about Johnny Clegg - like this song on YouTube: Johnny Clegg (With Nelson Mandela) - Asimbonanga.

Ouch for those plants in the unexpected freeze, Shannon. Is it an option to replace them with new six inchers started in the green houses? Our late winter here is forcing many folks into using starter plants when they'd normally start from seeds.

Bill - I can replace them with plants from Lowe's, I'm just annoyed. Most of them didn't make it.

Oddly, a couple of the pepper plants have no damage at all, and two of the tomatoes seem like the top half froze and the bottom half looks fine. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to just replace those or see what happens. On a couple of them I was left with just stems after I snapped off the wilted leaves. Looks like worms got them. LOL

First day of my Spring Break, I'm going to get some cleaning and organizing done this next ten days. Also I am working on my app I've been writing for about a year. Very close and plan to get some of the things that I need to add to it fixed. It's a word game for middle school kids. I need to add a scoring that is hosted by Apple so it will show the top scores. I plan on releasing it very soon because I have an idea for another app I want to work on but I just can't start it until I release this one! Sort of like starting a book when you aren't done with another book. I have never released an app, so that part alone will be a learning curve.

My DH was given tickets to a skybox at a baseball game in Tampa tomorrow night. He says there will be lots of good food, and I said, it's Good Friday! Meaning we don't eat much that day, not total fasting but limited. Oh well, I'll manage.

Sorry about your plants Shannon. I'm going to learn about Johnny Clegg too. Dagmar, I do the same thing with watching the audience. But sometimes it makes me cry. If I see people, especially kids, really enjoying something it just tears me up! I felt like a complete idiot about 20 years ago when I took my kids to see Barney, that awful purple dinosaur, and I started watching other kids totally immersed in the show and I started crying... In a Barney show!!! Another time that happens is in airports. I have to just look straight ahead and watch no reunions! It is so annoying because these are total strangers and I cry when they hug and reunite! Forget sappy commercials. I just leave the room! And babies getting baptized... I have finally learned to watch but not pay attention there because my kids would get so mad....why do you cry every time mom????
So now I watch and think of something else. Can't imagine whenever my kids get married, lol.

Calcounter I cry when I listen to choirs - hymns, Christmas carols, etc. I found this out at a performance by Ladysmith Black Mambazo - most embarassing. It wasn't small tears only crying - I was bawling. I had to leave the concert.

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j...65058239,d.b2I

Dagmar

Me too! I cry at music like that also! I haven't ever had to leave an event but I seem to be getting worse, lol, so my day may be coming!

Hi all! I've been having fun this week with my crew of birders that comes each spring to band migratory songbirds. I've started off this year much further ahead than I was last year so I'm hoping this year to keep expanding my ability to ID the birds and start to learn to age them as well. Here is a picture of me with a Common Yellowthroat that I banded (don't mind the hair and shlumpy field clothes - it's field work and was really windy!). The weather has turned back from spring here, too, but these fronts and wind actually make for really good weather for getting birds.

I made friends with these folks last year, too, so it's fun to spend time with friends I don't see often. My work schedule with them is kind of erratic but I'm hoping to get back into regular wogs with the dog this weekend and next week. I have a few good weeks on, then a week off, usually due to work craziness. As long as the good weeks outweigh the bad... at least I've been walking around a lot to check the bird nets.

Shannon, sorry about your plants. This has been a weird spring. My tomatoes and peppers have been enjoying the rain but I need to go put my milk jugs around them if this wind doesn't stop (I cut off the top and bottom of a 1 gallon plastic bottle and put it around young tomatoes and peppers if it's windy when they're young). A friend's garden that has been prolific in greens is getting flooded out, so he's been just giving the greens away left and right because he knows they'll die soon. My morning smoothies have benefitted greatly from his spinach and baby kale.

Calcounter, enjoy your spring break! And finishing your app. What an accomplishment.

Dagmar, how did your meeting go re: deck replacement? Good I hope!

Allison, sorry about the layoffs. That has got to be tough. I hope business picks back up soon.

Jessica, the girls are too cute! They will be running around in no time.

Bill, I have a gas grill just for the convenience/speed of it. It is really nice to cook quickly outside in the summer when it's a) I'm hangry! and b) it's hot and we don't want to heat up the house.

Have a great weekend all!

And holding a Common Yellowthroat! How cool is that?

Awesome photo Megan!!

Love the Common Yellowthroat picture, Megan - We feel lucky when we see those around here.

Great photo of Megan AND the bird!!!

Love the picture! Both you and the bird are adorable!

You look very happy to be out there doing what you're doing Megan. Nice pic!

Dagmar