Blogger and I Had a Spat

After trying to upload several kitty pictures over the weekend so that I could make a post in answer to Yolanda Elizabet's tag and wrangling with Blogger (with Blogger winning), I've given up. Oh, the post will be made at some point (in a couple of days or so), but right now I'm actually sick of looking at it. Forgive me, Yolanda Elizabet! Or rather, please forgive Blogger, because it's all Blogger's fault.

In other news, the weather seems not to be able to make up its mind, which is typical as one season flows into another. Snow flurries fell on Saturday for about ten minutes (and you had to be sure to wear glasses to see them), then sleet pinged against the windows towards evening. Today we awoke to a balmy 54° and the threat of rain hanging in the air.

It's chancy that we'll have this warm of a day again much before March or April, so Romie and I took advantage of it to hang little white lights on the pergola. Again.

Several years ago, we strung them all along the top rails and put a timer to them so they'd come on at dusk and go off around midnight or so. Over the years, the bulbs burned out and we replaced them as we could find the bulbs but of course the time came that we couldn't find the bulbs anymore. This summer, we tore down the old ones and debated whether we should replace them or not.

We missed the ambience that they created and I'm happy to say we once again have pergola lights. With the large windows overlooking the patio area, it is a nice effect to look out and see them twinkling.

The gold and red Christmas balls are also hanging and this evening are actually hanging on for dear life as we are having sustained winds of 20-30 mph, with gusts to 40 mph. Out here in the open, with no wind breaks, it's very loud. The temperature has dropped to 36° and we're expecting snow flurries again by morning.

Like I said, the weather can't make up its mind, but it could be worse and we may as well get used to it.

But inside, we've got blooms! The variegated brugmansia that Mom gave me at the end of the summer is blooming again. This is the second time since October. I had gone down to the basement greenhouse to check on things and before I even set foot into the storage room, I could smell the flowers. It bloomed beautifully shortly after she gave it to me, then once I brought it inside for the winter, it promptly dropped all its leaves. Just as quickly, new ones started pushing out and in no time I could see flower buds forming.

I don't know the cultivar of this variegated one ('Maya' ?), but the fragrance it exudes is out of this world. So, so sweet and dreamy. They should figure out a way to duplicate it because it would be a bestselling air freshener or women's perfume.

And this is why I garden indoors all winter long.