It was so warm last weekend. I did not start a fire in the wood stove. Then on Tuesday: brrr! It was actually seasonably cold.

I’ve said many times that I wish I had a job as a weather person. They can be wrong so much of the time and keep their work. To wit: what happened to last Monday’s snowstorm?

I did take the opportunity to make a big batch of bread. At the beginning of Covid, I wasn’t obsessed with stockpiling toilet paper but, rather, with flour. Placed in the freezer, it remains fresh. I get the Island-grown Red Fife from Mermaid Farm. Dan Sternbach has been growing wheat and rye flours for several years now. It sells under the brand name Lost and Found.

I also stocked up on canning lids. I probably have enough to see me through for the rest of my earthly days.

I started the daunting task of cleaning the greenhouse. How quickly things get away from a person. I found a bag of paperwhite bulbs. I had every intention of having them in their gravel dishes for Christmas. I’m adjusting my expectations. Looks like Valentine’s Day!

The pigs are now residing in the freezer, thanks to a couple of willing family members.

I spread several bales of hay in their pen. I hope to convert it into a garden next year. The fencing is already there and it should be quite fertile.

I often use perennials in ornamental pots. One of my new favorites is phygelius. It is commonly known as Cape fuschia. I like the cultivar with bright yellow leaves. If put into a somewhat protected location, it will winter-over in the ground. This, of course, is in my perfect world. I rarely live in that world.

I have a huge pet peeve. It seems all my favorite products get discontinued, are always out of stock, or just plain no longer available. The latest is my only favorite ice cream: Ben & Jerry’s vanilla. Why, oh why!

I’m not a fan of the rows of burlap jackets on evergreens all over, in Edgartown especially. I try to figure out the purpose. We don’t get that much snow or cold here on the Vineyard. It would certainly be more attractive to see evergreens in yards and not big brown balls. I suppose it keeps deer from browsing but I did not know the were problematic in downtowns.

I rarely read fiction anymore. I cannot remember when I changed to almost all non-fiction. Currently I’m reading David McCullough’s Truman. It’s a thousand pages and requires some ambition on my part. He was president when I was born.

Unlike me, however, I could not resist the Hillary Clinton-Louise Penny novel State of Terror. It was a real page turner that I thoroughly enjoyed.

You can tell I’m at a loss for gardening material when I lapse into book reports.

I’m incredibly bored with the news. Can you imagine, political junkie that I am? This won’t last, so do not get used to it. Happy New Year!