Views of the Neighborhood – Winter Wonderland.

~ John W. Howell

Well, it was a mess on Friday and way too dangerous to go out on a photo tour of the neighborhood, which is when most of them are taken. Instead, I took a tour around the yard, and hopefully, these photos will take the place of a full-blown tour. Since we will stay at the house, we don’t need the bus today. We will need food, so I have called out for delivery from Nomatic Beer Works (Yes, they deliver beer too). Our entertainment is again Bob Seger. (A fellow Detroit native)

Menu

TURKEY PESTO – Turkey Breast |  Provolone  |  Parmesan  |  Pesto | Roasted Red Pepper  | Balsamic Reduction | Easy Tiger Sourdough

REUBEN (Turkey) – Turkey Breast |  Swiss  |  Sauerkraut  | Thousand Island  | Easy Tiger Rye

ITALIAN – Salami |  Rosemary Ham  |  Arugula  | Roasted Red Pepper  |  Parmesan |  Provolone  |  Italian Dressing  |  Easy Tiger Sourdough

SWEET PROSCIUTTO – Aged Prosciutto  |  Havarti Cheese  |  Arugula  |  Fredericksburg Peach Preserve  |  Honey  |  Easy Tiger Rosemary Focaccia 

HEARTY ARTIE – Artichoke  |  Roasted red pepper  |  Arugula  |  provolone  |  Pesto  |  Balsamic Reduction  |  Easy Tiger Sourdough 

VEGETARIAN – Artichoke  |  Garlic Hummus  |  Arugula  |  Roasted Red Pepper  |  Easy Tiger Sourdough

TOASTED CHEESER – Cheddar  |  Provolone  |  Havarti  |  Parmesan  |  Easy Tiger Sourdough 

We’ll star in the back. Make sure you have your gloves and hats on.

 

First, a look in the backyard looking Northwest. The hanging basket is wrapped in a hibiscus towel.

The backyard looking Southeast. The turf is covered with frozen sleet.

The patio area is covered. You can see the frozen sleet in the blackstone bed to the left.

A closer look at the patio. The magnolia tree and mountain laurel are covered in ice.

A close-up of the magnolia. The ice acts as an insulator since the air is colder than 32 degrees F. ( 0 degrees C )

A close-up of the mountain laurel.

Our rain gauge took on one inch of rain and is frozen. You can see ice on the fence as well.

Our motion light and irrigation monitor show the effect of frozen rain. So let’s go back inside.

Lucy and Twiggy wonder who the new playmates are. These are the plants that need protection from temperatures below freezing.

Here is a shot of the hibiscus in bloom. The other plans are dracaena, salvia, and a pot with pansies and alyssum.

Looking out the front, you can see the ice on the driveway and frozen sleet in the rocks.

One shot of the deer who are not bothered by a little frozen rain.

I hope you enjoyed a look at the Texas version of winter. Now relax, have some food and enjoy Bob.

 

 

114 thoughts on “Views of the Neighborhood – Winter Wonderland.”

  1. Looks too cold for me. I would stay in with Lucy and Twiggy. Hope the plants will all survive the cold. I think I may have mentioned it before, Bob Seger is a favourite of mine. So thanks for brightening up my Sunday!

    Liked by 2 people

  4. A frozen Texas still sounds weird, despite seeing the evidence! Good job.
    How do the girls like going outside to do their business in this weather?
    While you’re telling me, slide one of those prosciutto things over here, eh?

    Liked by 3 people

  8. I can manage driving in a little snow. Not frozen rain or ice. I’ve been home since Wednesday evening. I could have got out yesterday but decided I’d continue to hibernate!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Aww, i never thought you would have snow this year. But honestly, the real issue is the temperature. 😉 I would not say anything against snow, if the guiding temperature would be around 22 degrees (C). Lol Have a beautiful Sunday, John! xx Michael

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Pass me the Turkey Reuben. A couple of those and I’ll start to look like that hibiscus wrapped plant. Be extra cautious on any ice…unless you’re hibiscus wrapped. How do the dogs manage when they ‘must go out’? Our Daisy manages to ‘hold it’ a long time, if necessary. Makes me jealous.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. I thought of you when word of the Austin boil water order started circulating. I’m thinking you might not be on the Austin system. Having to boil water after escaping a power outage is insult after no-injury. We missed out on most icing, and by the end of today, it seems most of it north of us will be gone, too. I’ll be hauling my plants out later. They could have gone out yesterday, but I decided to clean the patio before taking on that little chore.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes we are on a different system. Our daughter in on the Austin system so she needs to be careful. We are going to visit today but will carry in the potables. We are going to move ours out as well.

      Liked by 1 person

  15. Nice views, John. It’s good you can pull some of the more sensitive plants indoors. I think it’s logical to stay put with that coating of ice on everything. Driving on ice is worse than snow, especially if it’s freezing rain. Stay safe and warm.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I remember a time when I was driving in Ohio. There was a hill and when I went over the top I say about twenty cars all piled up at the bottom. Too late to stop so I put the right wheels on the shoulder and managed to crab to a stop. What a mess.

      Liked by 1 person

  18. You folks look frozen. We are all covered in white here. It’s a good idea to stay inside and enjoy the warmth and the food.

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Here, it was just some sleet. A few more nights will still be freezing, but during the days it’s warmer. So, I’m in doubt if I should take the covers off the plants during daytime and put them back late in the afternoon. Getting some sun might do them good.
    Have a great Sunday,
    Pit

    Liked by 1 person

  21. I just looked at the forecast and it is two weeks of olympics. However there seems to be enough Tullamore Dew to get me through a strong dose of curling. Then there will be only one week of February left and what ever March will throw at us. Keep warm John.

    Liked by 1 person

  22. You really got hit with a lot of ice, John. The storm completely missed us. Lots of rain, but no sleet or ice.

    I’m so glad you were able to get the plants inside that needed to be protected from the weather and that the hanging basket is protected by the towel. I hope all of the other (outside plants) come back without problem. Stay safe and warm down there. Hopefully, this was the last storm of the season!

    Liked by 1 person

  23. It’s looking mighty cold for Texas. Your backyard is beautiful even in the freezing temps. We have similar weather in Northern Arizona, but it warms up by midday. Doesn’t it seem extra quiet on these cold mornings? I love that silence — but I also love Bob Seger’s Roll Me Away. Have a great one, John. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    2. I went out this morning and it was 25 degrees. A cardinal was in the shrubs singing his heart out. That was a welcome sound for sure. We are going to have a high of 57 degrees today. That will seem like a heatwave. Have a super Sunday, Gwen

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  24. Ice is always a worry – for both plants and drivers. We used to cover a lot of our outside plants – too many to bring in. You got the ice, we got some snow. I take it Lucy and Twiggy did not venture outside except when necessary! I’m going to throw caution to the wind and take that Reuben!

    Liked by 1 person

  25. Ice. Ug! Feel for you guys. Plants look lovely and glad the ice won’t hurt the magnolias. I used to play Bob Segar on the jukebox every morning when I worked at a burger joint (Griff’s, heard of them? They’re Texan based). It annoyed my boss which is why I played it hehe. But I am a fan. thanks for the memory

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  26. Glad you played it safe and gave us a tour of your own back yard. Looked pretty even with the ice. We had frost on the roof and overnight freeze but no ice as we didn’t get even a drizzle. Turkey pesto was great – thanks!

    Liked by 1 person

  29. Brrr… I’ll take a foot of snow to an inch of ice any day. We’re still scraping away up here in New England. So, the magnolia and mountain laurel will be protected by the ice and recover?

    Liked by 1 person

  30. I’ve been watching the weather, and I knew y’all were in for it, John. Thank you for braving the elements to get us some photos! Ice storms are no fun for anybody. Did Lucy and Twiggy do the slip-sliding thing like Monkey did?? Here’s to an early Spring, regardless of what the groundhog says!

    Liked by 1 person

  31. Mon Dieu, dear John! The ice rain in Moscow is one thing but in Texas is a disaster. I wish you to recover faster as it is dangerous indeed for humans as well. 🍺🍹🥠🥠🥠🍗

    Liked by 1 person

  32. Hi John, I hope you didn’t have to go out in your car during this storm. Lucy and Twiggy look a little uncomfortable sharing their space with those plants, but I’m sure they will adjust to the change.

    Liked by 1 person

  34. Great photos. The ice is the worst. Looks like we got a bit more snow on top of the ice up here, but today it’s all gone, just the way I like it! Thanks for sharing, John!

    Liked by 1 person

  35. When I see the ice on the driveway, I immediately think of some older person who wanders out to their mailbox and hurts themself when they slip and fall.

    Liked by 1 person

  39. I’ll take snow over that ice any day. Hope those beautiful trees won’t be badly damaged. I know you said it acts as insulation, but still. Glad you chose not to skate out there. That is hip-breaking stuff!
    Excellent song!

    Liked by 1 person

  42. Ok. I’m having the cheesy extravaganza. With beer. Dark preferably. After that tour I need to warm my insides. 🥶🥶🥶I don’t miss Texas winters, especially the ones we had in the hill country. It is pretty to see the (ravenous) deer though. You just can’t go wrong with Seger. ❤️

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