#WeatherGeek Update: How Does Your #Garden Grow? #Allergies #SavetheBees

Well, it's officially Spring but we're already experiencing early Summer temperatures, which makes sense as we experienced Spring-like temperatures nearly all Winter. It's predicted to be mid- to upper 70s all week, with at least one day hitting 80 degrees. And as it's almost April, its namesake showers are making preparatory appearances in anticipation, I guess. It has also periodically been quite windy, as cold fronts swoop down and hit the balmy air. Needless to say, between the regular sprinkles (and we do need the rain as we are still in a drought overall) and the over warm days, everything is sprouting like crazy and allergen levels are through the roof as my sinuses will attest.

On the bright side, this makes for a wonderful early gardening season --- and a good patch for the bees.

A Dwarf #Magnolia Verdant: #Gardening #GreenThumb #Southerners #Nostalgia #Gifts #WeatherGeek #BFF

I have a Dwarf Magnolia tree in my yard. It came to me as a dream almost. Several years ago, a friend and neighbor who loves gardening like I do, gifted me a distressed Dwarf Magnolia sapling that he'd inherited. (He actually got two, potted in too small containers and having been neglected on a patio for some time, both seen better days.) As he and I have had numerous conversations about our shared love of fragrant Magnolia blossoms, he said that he immediately thought of me when the two strays landed on his doorstep. He laughingly delivered it in a wheelbarrow. And so I set out to rescue the one, while he worked on saving the other. Being inveterate green thumbs and fellow small town Southerners transplanted to the metro Atlanta area, we often share seeds & plants --- and their associated bounty. This ritual is part of how we bonded as neighbors and became friends.

On the day my neighbor turned up with this temporarily homeless little tree, he pulled it from the battered pot, dug a hole and planted it in my yard. It's yours now! I grinned in response. Over the years, I've tended to it near religiously: first tying it upright with a lance, pruning it, watering it and talking to it good naturedly. I dubbed the pitiful sapling "Ms. Magnolia Blossom 1999" or "Mags" for short --- monikers that just popped into my head. And our girl Mags has thrived! Turning from brown and withered to green and redolent. It took some time, nearly a full year to undo the withering damage alone. After she started to stretch out and unfurl, Mags began producing lovely fragrant puffy white blossoms in season. This process took roughly two years of nursing and coaxing, but 'twas well worth all the effort. Because now, at roughly the five-year mark, I get all the benefits of having a thriving Magnolia tree in my yard --- in a (comparatively) compact space.

In case you're unaware or curious, a fully grown Magnolia tree can easily top 30 feet in height and take up a full yard between its meandering roots and wide ranging branches, but the dwarf varieties generally only grow about 8-15 feet tall and can be kept "straight and narrow" through careful pruning and shaping. The sad sapling that I was graciously gifted was about 3 feet tall at the time, but is now a roughly 8.5 foot tall tree, having grown nearly a foot a year.

I had to take special care of her with the extreme drought the area has been experiencing over the last year or so. I took to hand watering Mags to insure she continued to thrive in a suddenly fragile ecosystem. She's doing well! However, I keep a vigilant eye on her, because the current yo-yo Winter to Spring weather pattern has many trees and plants blooming too early. Yet, the temperature still dips down to freezing or thereabouts as it did yesterday morning. (The rainstorms last weekend provided plenty of moisture, which was followed by a few days of strong sunlight before this returned shot of Winter. Having been thus bolstered, I think she'll do OK.) On Friday afternoon, in spite of the blustery conditions due to the incoming cold front, Mags looked resplendent in the bright sun, unbowed and verdant. Quite the beauty queen.

I plan to get out this afternoon and check on her, again, just to shoot the breeze. I can't wait for actual Spring! The smell of Magnolia blossoms instantly transports me to a better place, rather like those Calgon commercials of old. The Magnolia tree is quintessentially Southern, of course, and intrinsically tied to the warm and sunny memories of my childhood. (When you have a hardscrabble youth, you're willing to work to keep the bright spots close in adulthood. It's called perspective.) This little tree has proven a most wonderful gift 🎁. I cannot thank my gardening buddy BFF enough for providing carriage for my trips to bountiful.

The #Weather Gods Are Haters. #WeatherGeek #Tornadoes #Thunderstorms

Boy howdy was it one heck of a weekend! In case you haven't heard, the Southeastern United States got pummeled on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (There were a reported 15 tornadoes in the state of Georgia alone on Saturday. Fifteen!) Seems we're experiencing our normal Spring weather instabilities in January. We saw thunderstorms, wind, rain and flooding in the metro Atlanta area.

This, came right on the heels of a record nine straight days of 70+ degrees temperatures. We needed the rain, because of the ongoing drought, but the rest was overkill, and we didn't get the worse of it. Places to the south and east of us were really put through the ringer, on repeat, with the Georgia coast getting kicked in the gonads for good some measure. (My thoughts are with all those around the globe affected by the crazy storms and natural disasters of late; it's been a beast of a weather year already.)

Personally, I'm still out of sorts. Pup hates storms and as we had several roll through during the overnight hours, this meant little to no sleep for several nights in a row. (She comes to find me whenever a storm gets going and we sit curled up, riding it through together.) During lulls we'd venture out to canvas the neighborhood, checking on neighbors and inspecting for damages. We were pretty lucky around here (sadly, others were not).

There will be a Wind Advisory in effect until 7:00p, but today is predicted to be drier eventually --- after a few morning showers. (Mere rain doesn't usually rile pup, but the last three days of high water storms proved stressful for her, thus, when it suddenly started pouring down around 2:30a, pup hopped up and came down the hall to get me and we've been up ever since.) Hopefully, I'll be able to crank things up a notch once she heads back to bed --- the rain sounds as if its finally tapering off --- and get stuff done. At the moment, however, all I want to do is crawl back in bed and do crosswords until the sun rises.

No such luck for me though. No rest for the wicked er, weary. Guess, I'll make coffee... On the bright side, the Atlanta Falcons are headed to Super Bowl LI --- a legitimate excuse to throw a party --- and I made Overnight Oats for breakfast. Small steps, small steps....

#Dogs and #Thunderstorms Are Not Friends. #WeatherGeek

As a weather geek, I used to like thunderstorms, but this was before I got a dog. Having a pup who does not enjoy booms, claps and rumbles, changes a perspective. (And this, quick on the heels of the "bombs bursting in air" which constituted New Year's.) We need the rain, because we're still recovering from extreme drought, but... Thunderstorms have become a source of trepidation. But alas, pup is tucked in and finally off to sleep, I hope, as things seem to be settling down. Last night into this morning was a crazy, rainy, cold, clammy, foggy, thunderous mess --- and as I also got little to no sleep due to my sitting up with a worried pup, I am off to bed.

May the Sun gods shine today!

What's Your Name? Call Me Procrastinator #LastMinuteShopping #Movies #WeatherGeek

Dinner + Movie Night was a roaring success! I'm still in recovery mode having only gone to bed a few hours ago. Lack of sleep isn't my problem, however, because my natural sleep cycle is only four hours. No, most often my day simply does not have enough time available within it to accomplish everything I need to get done.

Today is an exception. I haven't planned much beyond doing some last minute shopping --- Egads! I may actually need to venture out to a store. Oh, the horror --- and watching a few flicks (need to use some expiring Redbox Playpass Credits).

Due to various relatives heading this way for the holidays, things will likely be crazy for the next 10 days. We'll have to play it by ear. (I'm trying to keep to a posting schedule... Good luck with that, says a little voice.)

By the way, our odd weather continues. It's supposed to get up to 70 degrees on Christmas day. December? Where are you? I don't mind the mild Winter, except for the preponderance of bugs still giddily flying around. An amateur entomologist, I like bugs generally --- when they aren't dive-bombing into my eye, which has happened quite a lot of late. Perhaps, their sense of direction is being skewed by the weather, for these insect varieties aren't used to being active this late into the year. (To bastardize Yaz: How Winter Kills... or not.)

Well, I should get my gear together. It'll be time to brave the wilderness soon. Crowds. Ick. Wish I had a magic wand to wave and make them disappear.

On the bright side, I picked up French fries and Ranch Dressing (this week's Free Friday Download) at my local Kroger store to munch on while watching movies later. Not certain what I should rent. I'm interested in seeing Florence Foster Jenkins, but may lean toward something Sci-Fi or Fantasy based to unwind, depending on how the day has gone. Guess I'll take a chance on whatever is in the Redbox kiosk.

The #WeatherGeek Weekly: Wintry Cold Rain

A good portion of the state of Georgia is experiencing a severe drought with several northern swaths of the state having reached extreme conditions. Sadly, due to such bone dry conditions, Wildfire Season started earlier this year --- it doesn't "officially" start until January --- and posed a greater danger to surrounding residential areas as the combination of drought and windy, blustery days meant any spark ups could travel far, fast. (Shout out to all the brave Fire & Rescue squad members who have battled the wildfires ravaging the South! We see you.)

The metro Atlanta area had gone through a period of 40 odd days with no measurable precipitation before severe weather invaded the state a few days ago (at least four tornadoes plowed through the area). We need rain, but it's difficult to appreciate it when it arrives with further danger in tow. Thankfully, the latest round of showers  that passed through did not reach severe storm level. Still these showers were coupled with some of the coldest air we've experienced so far this season which made things quite "nippy".

We're already below freezing this morning with a Wind Chill in the 'teens, and projected to go below freezing tomorrow morning and again Sunday morning, before "warming" next week. This is early cold for the South as (the official start of) Winter is still two weeks away. We haven't had morning temps this low since last February. In other words, what's more typical for the heart of Winter is occurring before Winter has actually arrived.

It's runny nose weather --- cold, windy and often wet. Time to break out the Duck Boots, knee socks and cable knit sweaters --- and mull some cider! (My tools of choice for surviving cold weather.)

NOTES: As someone who loves science, theoretical analysis and predictive models, I'm a natural born meteorologist. I have a digital weather station outdoors that beams data indoors. I check the various services radar outputs and make my own reports. I tend to be more accurate than the local news, pinpointing expectations to my own "block".

In spite of my love of all the accompanying weather tech gadgets, I consult local almanacs for historical data (predictive models at work). Poor Richard's was a childhood favorite. As a wee tot, I quite admired Ben Franklin. He was a man of science with a bright mind. My kind of fellow.

In my home town, people lived off of the land, by choice and by need. I was raised in a rural farming and equestrian area with storied traditions and a prominent history. (The local country club hosts one of the nation's oldest, still operating Old English themed fox hunts.) In "explaining" the South and Southerners to strangers, I often try to give a bit of historical perspective. But one must remember each Southern state has its own flavor.

I know Georgia. The state of Georgia was founded as a Royal Charter (Penal) Colony, thus, a lot of our history is strictly Old English (or more accurately Old United Kingdom, for we have strong Scots/Irish influences also). In many ways, the Old South in Georgia is equivalent to Old English Country Life. If you examine how closely Australia, another Royal Penal Colony, to this day mimics English society it may give you some idea about Georgia society historically. I have had British citizens remark that I seem British. Considering my background, it's not surprising.

This history lesson is by way of saying that you can expect me to discuss the weather as more than a mere conversation starter. I was taught to respect the weather at a young age. When you're a farmer (and I hope to grow/raise at least 90% of my family's food) weather controls your livelihood. We plan to live off of the land, as my ancestors before me did, so it helps to be a Boy Scout. Be Prepared.