a strong potential

Last week was the sudden thunder, quickly followed by hail.  Little balls of ice that came down quick, hard, and fast.

Tonight there's a hard frost advisory, which in itself warrants a "heads up"--we don't get hard frosts, except on rare occasions.  But attached to this sting of a real frost is a "strong potential" that we will get SNOW!  Snow?!  Don't misunderstand:  I was raised in the stuff, walked to school in the stuff, spent hours playing in the stuff.  But I have gotten "soft" living here in the meek and mild California valley the past fifteen years or so.  I don't even own a windshield scraper.  There's no need.  What little frost that may be on the windshield a few mornings a year can easily be taken care of by the defroster in the time frame my grandpa would say was "two shakes of a lamb's tail".

I've gleened the last of the jalapeno peppers off my plants, which up to now have continued to bloom and produce since spring.  They're hardy plants but they won't survive the potential 27 degree (F) temperatures predicted.  Winter crops which have just started to come up are covered in straw.  Citrus trees are being covered, "house" plants that normally live outside on my patio year-round are being covered, bird feeders are filled.  I'm ready.  Bring it on.