I know a lot of you in the world are used to cold weather but this Bristol morning’s wicked cold temps felt remarkable to me! And just to prove it, I took my camera to the water for a couple of shots of the harbor boil, rimy ice on the rocks and the wind that made me send my nose and faceparts scarfward. brrrrrr!!!! It was a fast, frozen fingers, fogged glasses walk back to the potting shed, I’m telling you!

The greenhouse was covered in ice and the uninsulated potting shed windows were gorgeously glazed. Gail and I cranked the heat (to a balmy 62), leaned our elbows on the radiator next to the table and spent the whole day scheming and planning each garden, working our way across the property from the Rose Garden to the Rock Garden. Now that we have color ideas (no, we’re not stuck on orange this year – yet!) we’re ready to dive into catalogs starting tomorrow…