Overall, it has been a pretty mild winter. But this week we had two of our coldest nights since last year. Definitely a little chilly on all of our plants. I know my mango tree has been in bloom way too early already. I’m hoping that the cold temps didn’t damage the sensitive flowers. Fortunately, now the forecast looks like it is going to start leading us into our spring season. Before too long we’ll be planting veggie gardens and spring annuals and thoughts of winter will be a thing of the past.
And speaking of cold, Kim and I recently took a little trip to Sedona, Arizona. I don’t know about you, but when I think of Arizona, I don’t think cold and snow, I think hot and desert. In theory, I know it can get cold there, but it just isn’t the first thing I think of. So as we planned our trip, we watched the weather for the days we’d be there and it looked like it would be in the 50s during the days and 30s at night. Colder than we’d expected, but sort of a nice break from the warm, wet winter we are having here.
And then as we got closer to the trip, the temps started dropping and snow was creeping into the forecast. First just a little dusting, then teens for temps and 4 inches or more of snow were predicted. Yikes. We’d planned on some hiking, so now packing felt like we were preparing for climbing Kilimanjaro last year. Lots of layers, gloves, long underwear. The works. There is a quote from someone that says, “There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.” We were going to be prepared.
As it turns out it was delightful, though it was definitely cold. I don’t think the mercury in Sedona went above 45 the entire time we were there. And on Sunday that week it snowed all day long. A great day to relax and stay warm by the blazing fire in the hotel lobby. We did venture out to a movie, but for the most part we just stared out the window and watched the snow fall.
And the next day we had plans to hike to the top of the highest mountain in the Sedona area – Mt. Wilson. It ended up being an amazing hike through fresh, powdery snow, and at the top the snowfall had been heavier and was more like 8 inches. We ate lunch looking down over Sedona and marveling at a pristine winter wonderland.
Because Arizona is a pretty desert-ish state, there were lots of cacti and agaves in the area, and the strangest thing we saw on our hike was a prickly pear cactus covered in snow. To me cactus means sun and heat, so seeing this plant with snow on its paddles just didn’t quite jive with my brain. And when I saw it, for some reason I started singing “Snow on the Cactus” to the tune of Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water.” Not sure why, but it fit. And there was a fire in the sky. Although it was cold the sun was out and there wasn’t a cloud to be seen. A gorgeous day and a gorgeous hike, in somewhat unique conditions for us.
Fortunately, there won’t be any Snow on the Cactus here. As we roll to the end of January, we aren’t completely past the risk of frost and freeze, but we are getting there. If you are getting anxious to get outside and do something, now is a great time to start seeds indoors so that you are ready to plant in mid-February, and while it is cool, it is an excellent time to prep the soil in your veggie gardens for the season. Last week I used John Muir’s quote about the mountains, but I think it is equally true for gardens: The garden is calling and I must go. See you there.
