FROSTY Lives Here...

Not the Snow Man. No -- he lives somewhere else. Frosty that is. Somewhere -- where they actually get real SNOW. What we get in North Natomas is a hard frost. Yep -- snow falls in the Sacramento area once a generation.

What do the Birds get? Rain and frost. We didn't get any of what Garry Erck got up at his pad in Diamond Springs. Nope. Garry gets the REAL Winter Wonderland. He gets the "real" showstopper yard.

But us? Blah....

However -- the hard frost did some unfortunate things to our North Natomas gardening efforts. I would say the fall potato crop is probably done right about now -- judging from this picture to your left? What do you think?

Yeah -- the fall potato crop is HISTORY.

It's the same story with other fall and summer crops around the yard. Yes -- I kept half a bed of bell pepper plants around. Why not? They were still producing! Guess what? After last night? Not anymore. And that bed of tomatoes that I nurtured through Thanksgiving? Yeah -- it's given up the ghost as well.

Lots of work to be done. I see a well packed Green Waste can in my immediate future -- and perhaps some muddy shoes to go along with those efforts. It's just "that" time of year again.

It's the same sad story with most of the fruit and citrus trees -- plus other fall garden crops planted around the yard. The onions and garlic are anything but happy. The lettuce is wilting. The Baby Bok Choy has this accusing look on its face (at least that's the way Bill Bird sees it). The once bright green leaves on the Pomegranate tree have turned a sour yellow and are abandoning branches in droves. The roses are putting on their annual winter "Hasta La Vista, Baby" show.

The only thing that seems to be doing well are the artichoke plants. I'm not sure why they react like it's "fun in the sun" during a deep freeze -- but they do. They're pert, bright green and happy.

Venus and I didn't get around to covering anything in ye olde backyard. We were -- how do you put it -- on "holiday." Yes indeedy -- the most beautiful woman in the world and I drove north on Friday -- where we spent three incredible days in the Northern California vacation hotspot known as EUREKA!

What's that? When did Eureka suddenly become a vacation hotspot? How about when I said it was? That's the story I handed Venus anyways.

Although we heard plenty of warnings about this "impending" storm that was due to hit California Sunday night/Monday morning -- we awoke in our Three Star hotel known as the Red Lion Inn to a classic "Sun Storm." As in -- the sun was shining brightly Monday morning. There was no rain to speak of. Not even a hint of a snowflake.

We saw what we missed while driving home later that day -- and that's when my lovely bride snapped this lovely picture of yours truly. "Look at the camera and smile," she instructed. See how well I follow instructions?

The best part of our weekend trip? Other than the discovery of the Boathouse Bar & Grill in the Clear Lake community of Nice (Neese) -- it had to be that return drive on the Redwood Coastal Highway -- Highway 101. There's nothing quite like the view of snow-covered redwoods and a blanket of snow on the forest floor -- glistening in the morning sun during a leisurely drive down the coast.

Home again. I like it.