Cold front!

Today is what we Floridians have been wishing and hoping for. Last week we had a hot spell that made all of us think we were in Puerto Rico in July. We complained like crazy as the beads of sweat poured down our armpits and we couldn't think of how in the world we could ever venture outside in such heat. And now, it is cool, even cold! We all spent the last two days outside in our gardens, reducing the biomass, pruning stuff, actually looking at the damage the heat and drought brought. We all found those sweaters from last year, old friends.

The giant mutant cosmos you see in the photo are full of butterflies. These plants are so heavy , that many of them have toppled over. Soon, when they have finished their profligate blooming, we will uproot them and throw the carcasses over the fence. This morning I tackled the water garden and took out at least half of the plants. I discovered many treasures in the process. The pancake plant had many pups and a monarch coccoon and a very cute jumping spider. I replanted this, cut off the pups to be planted in a different place.

Andy spent the morning pruning the dead wood out of the citrus trees that took such a hit last winter in the freezes. Tomorrow I will attack the asparagus bed, so overgrown over the summer.

The vegetable garden was so wimpy during the last heat wave, but, now, in just a couple of days, it has perked up. Tonight we had eggplant, beans, lettuce and herbs for dinner. I am emotionally unable to remove those wonderful butterfly attracting volunteer plants in the vegetable garden, so when I work out there, I am surrounded by Monarchs, Queens, yellow sulfurs, zebra long wings, tiger swallowtails, black swallowtails, and so many others. They are all busy with the red sage, volunteer zinnias and milkweed. How could I possibly remove their food source? The peas seem to love these cool days and cold nights and are tightly clinging to the fence.

The armadillos are working at night digging up the yard. I have managed to trap one big mama and I have released her far from here. But more come. At least they haven't so far breached the fence around the vegetables.

The night is full of stars and bats. The insects that call in the evening are in full cry. The green tree frogs are massing on our windows, intent on catching any moth that comes by. I am thinking that soon I'll be under my quilt with my husband and dog, all of us happy to be here in this magical place.