Ah, we have done the middle of the night slide back to regular time. They say the week following the time change is the most difficult to handle as far as health and other issues. This year, 2020, has proven to be the year of extreme change in almost every part of our lives so I guess we are entitled to have a few issues. It also seems fitting that we are having “the election of the centuries” take place this year.

This weather has been a real bee in my bonnet. As you may recall back in early summer I got the strong hormones to order fall tulips and daffodils for “early fall” planting. Once the weather got cooler I began thinking of actually having to plant the bulbs and hoped they would arrive at a reasonable time in order to get them all tucked in for winter. The company sent out an email the last week in September and said they were starting to ship to the areas that needed early planting and then progress down to the warmer areas of the country. After a few weeks I began to worry that maybe I missed the package and it was sitting someplace in the garage or side porch. Big time search, but I did not find any bulb package so I called and asked about the order. After more phone time than I ever dreamed of, they said they did indeed have a order for me and that it would be shipped out in the next 7 to 10 days. Holy Cow people, did you start shipping to the North Pole for the early plantings and Minnesota was in the tropics? The box finally came. And guess what, it came in the middle of the big 6 inches plus snowstorm. Planting bulbs was about second to the end of my long list of things to do.

I pictured myself chopping through the snow and then through the frozen earth to make my 6 inch plus deep holes. I did not have a happy smile on my face in that picture. I had well over 100 dollars invested in this order so I just could not say the heck with it and toss them in the woods. Plan C or D was just to toss the bulbs on the snow in the planting area and then call up the Tree House and beg them to bring out a yard or two of gardening soil to cover them. Thankfully Mother Nature gave us a break and sent in some warming weather to clear the snow so I could chop the holes directly in the ground and get those puppies laid to rest. I don’t see that they are going to have time to root and/or do what they are supposed to do in the fall, but I will give you the report next spring time. I would think by that time, winter weather weary me will say that was a brilliant 2020 idea.

Gardening people, if you got caught in the snowstorm and did not get all the shovels, pots and lawn chairs put away, use this gifted time to finish the job. The wind has probably imported tree leaves from 2 states away. Don’t worry about those leaves. You do not have to be out there racking and picking at them. Your lawn will be okay and leaves in your flower beds will be a plus for the winter time. You have more important things to take care of like being sure your garden hoses are disconnected so you don’t have frozen pipes overwinter.

Did you know that it is easier than ever to make the must have Chex Party Mix at home? I know I saw that you can buy a bag of it for about $4.00 or so but that would make about 3 servings just for me. Walmart, and I am sure almost any place that sells cereal, should have a seasoning pack for free and recipe available so it will be extra easy to make this Christmas for sure snack. Margaret, my BF in cooking crimes, always makes the mix in LARGE amounts and stores it in a large camping cooler. A while back she made the first batch and stored it away in the cooler. The next day after making the second batch she noticed that yesterday’s supply was almost gone! Where did it go? Turns out the dog had discovered how to open the cooler. Woof Woof Good! Not just for Humans! Keep my water bowl full.