Beloved commentor and expert photographer Ozark Hillbilly:
Seeing as we are finally getting a real taste of winter, I thought I’d send some topical pictures.
Twins and King’sCup are frost flowers (had to give the braying jackals 2 at least). Not a good year for them, this year. These are from 2019.
Not Snow is a frost formation that occurs only in just the right conditions. I took this pic last Xmas day, which was the 4th or 5th day in a row of below zero lows and single digit highs, at Dillard’s Mill on the Huzzah Creek. The mill pond was largely frozen over but the falls were flowing well and putting lots of moisture in the air, which when it came in contact with the ice formed these strange crystals.
Smokin! is the first smoker I built. I do it the old fashioned way, with a thermometer, a fire chamber that I route the smoke from to the smoker chamber where I hang the meat. Not with the newfangled, computerized “smokers” they make nowadays.where everything turns out “just right” every time. I like how my smoked meats are just a little bit different every time because the wood varies and the temps are not quite consistent, etc.
This smoker barrel only lasted a few years. I have a new smoke chamber now that I built and it is working much better. My fire chamber… Is another story. I’m gonna have to build a new one in the next year or two. Live and learn, live and learn.
Hoary [at top] and Hoary2 are obviously hoarfrost. It’s not a common occurrence here but it does happen.
The most enchanted morning of my life was on a winter float where the temps got down to almost -20. (We slept in a cave we knew was there). We were floating on a spring fed river and it was absolutely magical the next morning. I took some of the most beautiful pictures of my life that morning (all 3 or 4 of them, then my camera froze up) and I wish I still had them. Long gone now.
IcyMuddyFunGuy is an ice formation I have featured in the past. Maybe I am weird but I like them. Pretty sure OpieJeanne has some much nicer pics of some, they are stunningly beautiful.
Stripes… I just love the patterns trees make on the snow.
***********
Welp… I place my first plant order for 2024 this week. A Chocolate Sprinkles cherry tomato for the Spousal Unit, while they’re still in stock; a six-pack of heirloom tomatoes, including another Chocolate Sprinkles, just in case this turns out to be my only tomato purchase; and a few more Blue Butterfly columbines (highly recommended, for both prolific flowers and attractive foliage clumps!).
SiubhanDuinne sent me the perfect meme for that…
What’s going on in your garden (planning / memories / indoor), this week?
eclare
OZ, that fire chamber is huge! Thanks for the photos.
Viva BrisVegas
Just for contrast, here on the other side of the planet we’re looking at 95 degrees tomorrow and no snow.
JPL
@Viva BrisVegas: It’s ten degrees and I live just north of Atlanta.
Ozark, I love the pictures.
Lapassionara
Thanks for posting these lovely photos.
eclare
@JPL:
Eleven here in Memphis.
OzarkHillbilly
@eclare: Just so you know, the fire chamber is housed in the small shed in the middle of the pic. You can’t really see it, but it’s 2′ wide x 4′ long and more or less 3′ tall. The barrel is the smoke chamber, constructed from 2- 55 gallon barrels. The top barrel was where I hung the meat, below that was the top and bottom of a 2nd barrel, the bottom chamber had a propane burner for additional heat if needed, and the upper chamber was where the smoke entered. It was a good design but it only lasted 3 years before it all rusted out. The new smoke chamber is built with a concrete block base, solid walls of 2×6 edge to edge framing lumber and paneled with sheet metal (coil stock on the inside, corrugated metal roofing on the outside). 2′ deep x 4′ wide and 6′ tall. It will probably be here long after I am gone. If I can I will rebuild the fire chamber this summer, if I can’t I should be able to nurse it thru another year.
satby
@OzarkHillbilly: Always love the frost flower pics!
@JPL: @eclare: 0° here right now, predicted high of 19° today. 32° tomorrow. Woo-hoo!
eclare
@OzarkHillbilly:
Oh, thanks, I did get them mixed up. Still a pretty large contraption. Good luck on getting your new smoker set up.
satby
That meme is so me Anne Laurie, that I woke up trying to remember what partial shade perennials I ordered for the front bed. I have 6 tomato plants and three David Austin roses ordered too. But I know where they’re going.
I’m pretty sure.
OzarkHillbilly
It’s 3 degrees here in the land of hills and hollers. They are calling for freezing rain tonight and tomorrow so no baby girl this week. Than the warm up begins. 46 on Tuesday, 50 on Weds, and about the same thru Saturday at least. My joints will finally get a break this week.
I am ordering seeds today. Crossing my fingers that my seed starts are much better this year.
MazeDancer
Love the photos, Ozark. Have lived in the cold and snowy North East and snowy, but sunny, New Mexico, and never seen them in real life.
Elizabelle
@OzarkHillbilly: Knew that top photo would be an Ozark photograph. Superb.
Needs a poem written about it.
Now I want smoked meat for dinner …
Dorothy A. Winsor
Beautiful pics. Good eye.
NotMax
@OzarkHillbilly
Ah. So the still sits behind the shed, then?
;)
TriassicSands
Here in western Washington it is almost 4;30AM and 41° F.
eclare
@NotMax:
Link doesn’t work…
Princess
I love tree shadows on snow too.
NotMax
@TriassicSands
First night in a week have not turned on ye olde space heater. Brisk but bearable 56 degrees at 2:30 a.m..
NotMax
@eclare
There’s no link, it’s a just awakened from after dinner nap coding faux pas.
eclare
@NotMax:
Gotcha!
satby
@NotMax: ha! Right now that sounds like summer. It’s just before dawn and the temp here slipped to -2°. I’m procrastinating on making a curried pumpkin soup for a UU church luncheon. More coffee might help.
kalakal
Love the shadows on snow too
That meme is me! My problem is I’m a plantaholic which is problematic when you’re a gardner.
Got down to about 37 here last night which for here is Brrrr! but really is nothing to complain about.
EarthWindFire
19 here in VA, high of 32 today, and it’s supposed to be a high of 62 on Friday. But there’s no global warming because it got cold. No sirree. /sarcasm
This is the first time I’ve seen a frost flower. They look like clouds. Thank you for the pics!
HinTN
It’s either 6 °F or 7 °F here, depending on which thermocouple you believe. Inspired by Ozark, I have just ordered one Cherokee Purple tomato plant and two pepper plants, Ancho and Jalapeno. These will go in large pots on the deck. Take that, Bambi.
Anne Laurie
Cherokee Purple is one of our ‘must have’ plants for rootpouches — I’ve bought them from multiple different nurseries over the years, and they’re always among the first to fruit (sometimes as early as the cherry tomatoes!) and the last to give up in the Fall.
I wouldn’t *advise* it, of course, but they’re also better than most heirlooms at bouncing back from an accidental dry spell…
mrmoshpotato
Great pictures and a hilarious meme. Thanks.
And now I’m jonesing for some smoked meats. Mmmmmm
ETA – currently 6°F in Chicago.
SkyBluePink
Always love the frost and snow pics.
Many years ago pre cellphone cameras, while driving over a mountain I chanced upon a hoar frost forest. It was the most magical sight.
Kristine
Lovely photos, Ozark. Thanks.
During winter walks with Gaby, I’d search for frost flowers and other phenomena but never found any. Had to settle for everything on the trail looking snow-coated, which has its own magic.
Trapped Lurker
Thank you for the lovely photos! And the meme. I just received my first order of the year: six packets of different native plant seeds. I plan to try winter sowing (in gallon plastic jugs). The goal is to have many seedlings for my new-last-year rain garden without buying expensive plants from the local native plant nursery. I am especially hoping that the shade tolerant ones (blue mist flowers and frostweed) will in fact tolerate shade. The wet spot is kind of shady…
JPL
@OzarkHillbilly: I now have a craving for brisket.
Betty Cracker
It got down to 32 F overnight, which may have whacked the bananas. More importantly, an otter is frolicking in our lagoon this morning. We saw it yesterday evening too. It’s a fairly large one. I’ve noticed they are more energetic (and therefore easier to spot) in the cold.
JPL
@eclare: Have you been able to leave your house yet?
JPL
@Betty Cracker: How fun!!
mrmoshpotato
@Betty Cracker:
Oh no! Hopefully there will be no renditions if Yes, We Have No Bananas.
eclare
@JPL:
Nope. The high today is 35, so I should be able to today. I am sure once I get out of my neighborhood the streets are fine, but the worry is getting to my car and then getting to the bigger streets.
Thank you for asking. My dog got my last two pudding Snack Packs for breakfast. Lesson learned.
eclare
@Betty Cracker:
Cute!
OzarkHillbilly
The breakfast of champions! I am sure you both will feel much happier with a return to a more normal diet.
satby
@eclare: Glad to hear you don’t have to wait until Monday. Your main streets should be fine, mine were in spite of all the ice, snow, and cold. Keep safe and good luck!
munira
Beautiful photos and I can relate as far as garden plants are concerned. Thanks
Jeffg166
@OzarkHillbilly: I can only depend on my own saved seeds to germinate. I don’t know what seed companies are doing but suddenly things aren’t germinating the way they use it.
I am not ordering any seeds this year.
JPL
@eclare: My lesson was learned when it took me six hours to go 11 miles during one of the snow events that Atlanta has. I was one of the fortunate ones that made it home.
Jeffg166
@Betty Cracker: My bananas are still upright but I don’t know if that is because the trunks are frozen through. I have to wait until the thaw this week to see if they stay upright.
Betty Cracker
@Jeffg166: My husband (the gardener in the family) also had bad luck with germinating seeds, particularly purchased pepper seeds, this year. He said the quality declined during the pandemic. I’ve also noticed the quality of produce has dropped. I assume it’s a lingering supply chain issue, but shelf life isn’t what it was on a lot of produce
PS: Best of luck to the banana trees!
OzarkHillbilly
@Jeffg166: Last year was the first time I have ever had a problem. Pretty sure it was due to the fact that I tried to start them in the greenhouse where temps were more unstable.
Madeleine
Like another commenter, when I saw the first photo I knew who the photographer was. Thanks for the gorgeous winter garden, OH.
Hoodie
Nice pictures. Speaking of the Huzzah, in the 1930s my dad would hitchhike from north St Louis to fish the Huzzah and the Courtois. The local pronunciation is unique, to say the least.
OzarkHillbilly
HA! It drives my fluent in 4 languages (including French) Spanish born wife crazy! I keep telling her that if she asks a local how to get to the Courtois Creek (with proper French pronunciation) they will look at her like she has ostriches coming out of her ears.
StringOnAStick
After several days of a driveway so icy it reflected the tree trunk like a calm pond, it is raining. It should be snowing but El Nino means warmer here, but it’s obviously a climate change sign too. I might be able to scrape the ice off the sidewalk, yay!
I had ordered some seeds, and the package tracking said it was out for delivery since January 14, it arrived yesterday, wet and bashed in package. Thankfully most of the seeds are inside foil packets inside the paper package but I’m concerned about the low temperatures that it experienced bouncing around inside the delivery vehicle.
Gvg
I have made extensive lists of seeds and plants to order but have only sent in my NARGS order ( north American rock gardening society) i better hurry or things may run out.
It was supposed to get down to 28 last night, too cold for me. Other than some quick grocery runs i won’t go out today. Clean and cook day at home. I may bundle up and see the camillias. Blooming has started. I did buy some local seeds before Christmas. Forgot those. Hot weather plants though.
Lovely photos.
wjca
For those who love photos of snow in this cold and snowy winter**, here something from Upper Michigan. In 1938. Now that’s deep!
** OK, not snowy here in coastal California. But most of the country.
Dan B
@OzarkHillbilly: Where we lived in NE Arkansas was the big house owned by the family that sorta owned the town. 8 bedrooms and a two story smokehouse. The town was on the White river that had many fish, mostly bottom fish. Our father tried to smoke one. The taste was smoky mud or smoky goo. But seriously – a two story smokehouse!
kalakal
Late to thread, just want to say how much I enjoy hearing about gardening in different parts of this huge country, where the conditions vary so much