Tiny Pellets

My vocabulary for frozen moisture has been in a drought for a long time. What is this stuff? I don't think it is snow. It began as rain, turned to a very firm rain then switched to these tiny little white pellets that are making an attempt to stick around as the temperature plummets.














Not to be deterred by the vicious cold winds from my appointed rounds for Garden Blogger Bloom Day I ventured out to the mailbox to pay a bill and took my camera with me to see what was happening in the world outside on November 15th 2007 in the mountains of WNC.

What is that stuff?















This Verbascum thapsus, Wooly Mullein was easy enough to figure out. It will be interesting to see what will manage to stay green through the winter or how long they can last through this onslaught.














What happens to fungi in the winter? You can see I am aiming towards a textural display for Bloom Day.














The Lamium maculatum, Spotted Dead Nettle has taken on a purplish tint to the leaves with the onset of cold. It apparently has quite a bit of staying power well below freezing. After a lovely 62 degree day upon my return from Florida, we are headed once again to a low of 24 and 40% chance of snow.

Has it snowed yet? What is that stuff?














The Maples are mostly gone. Only a few leaves on a few trees remain. It is hard not to marvel at the intricate pattens in a variety of colors that the Maples manage to produce.


















Even the ground is still colorful in spots. Who really needs flowers for Bloom Day?














This cultivar of Wintercreeper Euonymus, Euonymus fortunei is evergreen. Until it snows at least, it adds some textural interest to the garden.














Maybe it is snowing now. The tiny pellets are falling with some regularity and the temperature has dropped to 32 degrees as of 3pm.

This little reindeer garden of lichens and moss on top of a boulder may have to help feed my Bloom Days through the winter.














And here you have it, a real flower. A very late blooming Goldenrod for November's Bloom Day. A late starter in my new bed along the road cut to my cozy little cabin hangs on valiantly. There was even an insect nestled in the blooms.


















While gardening may have slowed down there is always some project to work on. I started removing the old boards on the original portion of the deck at the resident gardeners house to replace them with new decking. It's a might windy though and despite my new layers and thermal undergarments which have been a mighty fine improvement, working outside can wait for another day.















There really ought to be a law against strong winds below a certain temperature.