Views of the Neighborhood – Ready for the Freeze

~ John W. Howell

The last three nights in Lakeway have seen temperature lows of 25 degrees F (-3.8 C). To protect plants that have problems with those low temperatures, the neighbors have used various covering methods. The reason for protecting these plants is that such low temperatures are rare, and the plants, once past this event, can continue to thrive all winter. We are going to go and see some of the methods. We are being catered by Perlas in Austin. Our entertainment is The Band Perry.

 

Menu

Perla’s French Toast  

Mixed Berries, Lemon Chantilly, Citrus Shortbread Crumble

Espelette Shrimp & Blue Crab Gumbo

Steamed Rice, Andouille, Bacon, Scallion, Okra, Fried Egg, Grilled Baguette

New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp & Stone Ground Grits

Creole Lemon Butter, Poached Egg, Fines Herbes

Wood-Grilled Sausage, Oysters, Egg in the Hole

House Breakfast Sausage, Three Grilled Oysters

Crab Florentine

English Muffin, Poached Eggs, Lump Crab, Griddled Tomato, Lemon Spinach, Hollandaise

Steak Ranchero

Oak-Grilled Hanger Steak, Two Fried Eggs, Spicy Ranchero Sauce,

Crispy Griddle Cake with Crème Frâiche

Lobster & Egg White Frittata

Asparagus Tips, Roasted Tomatoes, Avocado, Basil

Lobster Omelette

Melted Leeks, White Cheddar, Chive, Butter Lettuce Salad.

Of course, anything you wish to drink.

Picture of an old time school bus

So get on the bus.

Not sure what is under that tarp, but that blue makes a statement.

Ace Hardware plant protector film.

Someone is missing their bed linens, including the bedspread.

A lovely 1000 count Egyptian cotton.

A couple of hundred dollars worth of covering.

Another bed victim.

Gotta wonder about the mailbox cover. It might be someone’s monogrammed shirt. The initials’ AD’ could be a clue.

There you have it. A quick trip but one I hoped you liked. Now it is time for food and entertainment. I hope you have a great week.

 

 

85 thoughts on “Views of the Neighborhood – Ready for the Freeze”

  4. Seeing all the covers makes me wonder if I should have done the same. I haven’t noticed folks covering their bushes in our area, but I’ll look more carefully now. I always love your Sunday tour, John, and it was fun to meet the Band Perry. Enjoy the day with your beautiful ladies. 🌞

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Gotta keep those plants warm. On the farm, in the early spring, it would get very warm some days and flowers would pop their heads out. But, it always got cold again so mom would cover up all those tender buds with whatever she could find, bed linen, old coats, T-shirts, it didn´t matter. Great food and music once again. Thanks!

    Liked by 1 person

  10. I know they’re saying they’ve prepared things for the cold, and hope they’ve done a good job at it so Texas isn’t as adversely affected by the cold. Looks like the plants, at least, have received some protection.

    Liked by 2 people

  11. We just got our second snow in two weeks. The first wasn’t much more than a dusting, but Friday night we got 3-4 inches. Surprise! I imagine people there don’t plant with freezes in mind. Here we kind of expect them. Delicious offering today, John. I’m torn between the lobster omelet and the shrimp and blue crab gumbo!

    Liked by 2 people

  12. Stay warm, John. The brown covering in that 1000 count Egyptian cotton looks a bit like the grim reaper. We wrestled with similar scenarios when we lived in Florida. Lots of bed linens made their way outside.

    Liked by 2 people

  18. Your food offerings put my Raisin Bran to shame… Forewarned is forearmed so smart of the ‘hood to cover up those plants using whatever they have! Sheets are washable, at least 😉
    Lovely music, too… I didn’t know them 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

  19. I feel for you, John. We, too, have been in the Deep Freeze, but of course, our plants seem to tolerate it better than yours — probably because they expect it to be cold in wintertime. Gotta love the bedding that appears outdoors. I didn’t see any bricks though to hold that stuff down — maybe you’re not getting high winds?

    Liked by 2 people

  24. The last picture is the most mysterious one, dear John! Something too precious must be under this cover. 🙂 Anyway, let’s hope the plants will recover. In Russia nobody will cover anything ever. There are unexpected waves of frost or other natural phenomena but people usually leave it to God & to Nature. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, I agree that nature should take its course, but when the weather does odd things at odd times, protecting plants for a day or two means many more weeks of pleasure. Thank you for the comment. 😁

      Like

  25. Always interesting to see what people use to cover their plants. I always use old beach towels and old sheets. We didn’t get a freeze but I brought a few plants in and covered a couple just in case. Great food! I loved the style of that house with a couple of hundred dollars worth of covering!

    Liked by 1 person

  28. Hi John, people sure are creative with their plant coverings. We don’t have enough sheets to throw them over our shrubbery! I hope the temps didn’t get down too far and that you’re having some warmer weather.

    Liked by 2 people

  29. Using 1,000 thread Egyptian cotton to cover outside plants seems a little extreme, John. We don’t usually need to cover plants as our area is usually frost-free. We did lose a few last winter as it was particularly cold. If our wet and cool summer is anything to go by, we are heading for another cold winter.

    Liked by 2 people

  32. The winter has definitely been a crazy one so far. I’ve seen similar tactics here, but personally, I love the bedding bandits!! Those take top prize! Thanks for taking us along for the ride, John.

    Liked by 2 people

  35. We have our outside faucets and pipes covered, as well as some of our cacti. I contacted the cactus nursery and they told me which ones needed to be protected. I hope what I did will help.

    Liked by 2 people

  39. Been there. Done that. Our boys’ bed linen history entertained the neighbors I’m sure! Baseball, Star Wars, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and I’m sure something from Granny’s old collection, a lovely red gingham perhaps. 😉

    Liked by 1 person

  40. Pingback: Blog Tour – Jagged Feathers #romanticsuspense @wildrosepress – Writing and Music

Comments are closed.