Apologies Offered

This is the morning sunrise as I was standing in 32 degree temperatures -
obviously had a case of the shakes and shivers.

It's been five days since I posted because I've been whimpering in a corner of the kitchen.  No matter what the cat says, I've not been sucking my thumb. 

Why the drama??

32 degrees was predicted.  We spent over an hour rigging up covers for my garden, taking all the flower pots inside, and covering the new mums.  It didn't get that cold.  The weather person (do they call it that or weather woman??? I want to be correct here.)  said our freezing weather was over and it would only get to 50 the next night.  With happy abandon, we removed all the garden covering.

In comes almost two days of a lovely five year old and a lovely two month old.  They keep us busy - really busy.  Too busy to listen to the weather.  And we're old.  At 10:30 pm the next night, I kinda hear the weatherman say, "I hope you covered your plants because it's going to freeze."  What?  No!  How could it freeze!  Plus, we simply couldn't cover the garden in the dark. 

End of story:  All my tomato and pepper plants got hit - bad.  Hence the whimpering.  It had been a slow to ripen kind of summer for tomatoes.  The drought, the full moons, the invasion of the body snatchers.  (I made that up but suffice it to say it's been a tough year gardening.)  I'd only put up two batches of tomatoes canned and another bunch in the freezer waiting to be canned.  No nearly enough for our crazy winter tomato needs. 

Today, I need to go out and pick all the tomatoes off the dying plants and get them preserved. Green tomatoes do make good sauce, they just aren't as juicy or as sweet.  Tends to be a bit tart unless there is a good mix of ripe ones and a hefty amount of sugar.  I guess I could pickle them but no one (and I mean no one) in this family would touch a pickled green tomato.  I could fry them but about one meal and that novelty would have run it's course.  Forgive me, I'm whining again.

And you know the really odd thing - not one other plant in the entire yard got nipped - not even the herbs.  Is there an evil garden monster hiding under the leaves in the form of a tomato horn worm?  Did the evil feral tom cat spend the night blowing his cold breath on the plants because I now have him blocked from coming in the cat door?  Did those creepy stink bugs flap their wings until they created a cold zone on the garden?  Surely ("Don't call me Shirley!") there is a logical if not mystical reason.  Sorry, I'm whining again.

Enabuy ygusbr drzy - sorry need to take the thumb out of my mouth before I talk:  Enjoy your day.