Winter again

January 3 overnight low - 14 degrees.
January 5 high - 71 degrees
January 6 high - 73 degrees
January 7 high - 71 degrees

Cover the greenhouse beds, uncover the greenhouse beds, yada yada yada. We had moderate damage to the mature lettuce on that 14-degree night. The low temperature reading under the floating row covers was 21 degrees. The baby lettuce is fine, and the inner, growing hearts of the mature lettuce survived, so hopefully it'll revive (and likely be frozen again.) The spinach, snow peas, collards, and root crops all are doing just fine and growing more than I'd expected they would during the short days of mid-winter.

As for those warm days --

- The rock pile finally thawed out, so I filled the holes in the driveway and covered the mud around the new water hydrant with a nice layer of gravel.

- We cut firewood - mostly from a fallen elm that was blocking the tractor route to the big hay bales stored at the edge of the pasture.

- The barn got a good cleaning.

- Half of last year's huge compost pile has been spread over the gardens.

Then finally, thankfully, the rain moved in. Temperatures are dropping, and I don't have to go outside and scoop, scoop, scoop. Life is good.

(Credit for the photo goes to my older daughter, Jen - that's me at the other end, bundled up in my Carharts.)