the morning after

~black-stemmed elephant ear~

~~~~~

One cold night can change everything, can't it?

The elephant ears were lying flat on the ground, their leaves turned into smooth leather - emanating a sense of relief that another season is over, that another season has just begun.

Perhaps, for gardeners, the first hard freeze is the start of a New Year?

It isn't such a bad thing.  Many of the plants were tired.

 ~~~~~

~morning glory~

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The perennial morning glories on the front fence, yes, the ones that were starting to wrap around the Christmas wreath, are now frozen into flowers made of tissue paper, still holding their color, color that will fade over the next few days.

The cold is here to stay - for a week or more.

I went to Lowe's this morning and got a second space heater for the Airstream.  Last night I was okay, but I felt more vulnerable than I was comfortable with, thinking 'what if the one space heater had broken down on me?' on a night that the temperatures got down to 22 degrees.  (The Airstream isn't much higher than ambient - maybe 10-15 degrees warmer at best).

So tonight I'm warmer (and feeling less vulnerable) and have spent an evening dealing with many of the things I need to be dealing with:  reviews, edits, applications, emails.  The usual.  

~~~~~

~banana tree leaves~

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The leaves of the banana trees have fallen down alongside the trunk - the leaves still filled with grace and purpose - I love how they look at every stage. 

The leaves collapse, and provide some protection to the trunk from the cold temperatures.  As they dry, the leaves become even more beautiful.

These are perhaps my favorite images of banana leaves that I've taken - this one with a luna moth, this one from the summer, and this one when the leaves were long dry. 

~~~~~

 

~mexican giant cigar plant~

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I'm now a fan of Cupheas - after not really paying much attention to them.  Perhaps this is why - blooms that still hang on through December, and that even after a cold night hold onto some of their color.

I have a grant due on 9 January.  Well, either 9 January or 11 January (since the 9th is a Saturday).  Then another a week or so later.  There are lots of focused days and late nights ahead.  Over the holidays I was trying to explain how I could be officially 'unemployed' yet busier than hell:  if we stop moving our 'science' forward, then we have nothing - and the analogy that I found that worked was that of an artist.  If an artist stops painting, there is nothing to promote or build on...does that make sense to you?  I still have lab space, people in my lab group - there is still data to write-up and publish and data to use support hypotheses for grant applications.  If we stop - then we will not be able to go forward easily (I know, that last sentence sounds silly, but I think you will know what I mean).

But there is a balance to achieve:  my last paycheck was in December.  Cross your fingers (and toes) for me that something comes along.  (Back to that irrational optimism).

 

~potato vine~

~~~~~

A friend/work colleague, who was at my place for an Airstream Party held in honor of a student in the Microbial Lab who had recently defended his doctoral research, loved the potato vine climbing along part of my front fence.  It was dark when she saw it - and she didn't notice it climbing into the 30' tree next to the fence, across that tree and into the canopy of the next one.  She asked for one of the 'potatoes' when they were ready, and I said sure, as long as she'd sign a form saying I wasn't responsible for the results.

Today the leaves of this vine are wilting, heart-shaped pieces of green paper everywhere.  

~~~~~

It's getting late, and I'm tired - so I think I'll leave you with images of Canna americanallis var. variegata 'Pretoria' - images taken today after last night's first hard freeze.  I know that we had a freeze last night, and that the garden is different now (if only for awhile) - but it doesn't mean that the beauty is gone.  The variegations in these leaves are now different but still beautiful - all in response to the first cold night of the winter.

 Happy New (Gardening) Year.

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Comments

[Janet]

I have been thinking of you and wondering how warm your airstream may be. Glad you got a space heater...a ceramic one?? (safer)
We have ice all the way across the creek this morning and everything is very crunchy under foot.
Good luck with your grants. Keeping my fingers crossed for you in the new year.

[Christopher C NC]

Pam somehow I think your Airstream and the resident gardeners house are like tourists who were packed for and headed to the Caribbean, got on the wrong plane and ended up in Minnesota.

Right now I am afraid to turn the heat down when I leave the house because it might not come back on if I touch the thermostat. Miracle of miracles the water has returned and it sure didn't get above 20 today. I think the jolt when I turned the pump on must have dislodged the ice blockage. Now I have a faucet dripping a bit to keep it moving.

[Susan Tomlinson]

Fingers crossed for the paycheck.

[Kay Wade]

Nice wabi-sabi photos.
I live in an Airstream, too. I'm happy to report that mine has far exceeded my expectations as to winter coziness. So far our low has been 26, inside low w/ one small space heater was 51. Not bad, considering we have a kick-ass furnace to warm things up in the morning!
Good luck on the grant.

[Pam]

Janet, the heater I keep on at night is pretty safe (although not a ceramic one) - plus, I keep it on the stainless steel stovetop cover - so it's a good surface, and away from dog tail's, etc. And thanks for the new years wishes - they are much appreciated!

Christopher, I agree. I'm dreaming of a gin and tonic around a nice fire outside (my definition of a harsh winter) - not 'this'. You can't turn your heat down, and I'm afraid to leave my own when I leave - because they are just little space heaters and not the safest things. I'm glad that you have water - I'm hoping that after this weekend that I'll be able to reconnect to the house's garden hose...

Susan, thanks (and cross your toes too, heck, cross anything that can be crossed).

Kay, how nice to have you stop by - welcome to a fellow Airstream dweller! I am a novice, but have been in mine for five months now - as I transition between jobs, potentially a new home or a move (or some combination of these things...). I haven't dealt with propane yet, which is stupid - and need to for hot water. Next week...I keep telling myself next week.