
One or two tomatoes survived our record cold temps last week. Reckon they might go to 'mater heaven after this comin' week's north wind howl. We ain't really bracin' fer it much. The orchids that still survive will come in, thas' about it.
Wait. No no...I will cover the kumkquat, ain't she purty?Thang is, we's got so much goin' on that coddlin' plants cain't git on the schedule.
Uncle built us this house when he were little mor'n a boy chile'. Now we's old an' the house is too. Uncle done got a bee under his coon huntin' hat.
"Belle, this ole' place needs some shorin' up."
First it wuz a new roof. I left the country.
Now it is through the roof--I mean the massive live oak that pokes its trunk-size branch through the two story porch roof--needed heap o' re-workin' on account of the tree's growth.

Doan'cha know how often the neighbors stop to warn us that "iffin' that tree comes down yore house is goin' wif' it?" But we ain't the onliest ones--thar's several other folks nearby wif' trees in they houses, cause' this area simply has spectacular ole' oaks. Who could chop them beauties down?

An' the floor boards? Well some needed replacin', as did the steps, an' fer the halt and the lame who now frequent the back porch, we's added a railing--


all waitin' fer the primer to cure so we can git the whole shebang painted--mercy willin', afore Christmas. See...THIS time Uncle outfoxed me.
He done waited until time fer Santy Claus to come so he knowed I couldn't hightail it to remote city an' wait out the noise and workman at dark-thirty.
Sigh.. now the scramble is on--workin' around all this puts a crimp in my festive mood. I is please we's gettin' fixed up some, but why did it have to be NOW?
An here comes the cold...
The lovely hibiscus will take a hit, but it's against a brick wall it will jes' need prunin' come March to remove the cold-hit branches.

Ok, now I'se ranted enough. Mayhap it is outa mah system. Uncle jes' hollered in on his talkie, from the gate of the huntin' camp, "Belle, I'se comin' home wif' a sleigh full of holly, an pine boughs, an pine cones. Doan worry yore haid none, youse gonna have all the greenery ya' need fer deckin' the halls."
Can I ask y'all, does that sleigh of goodies make up fer schedulin' all this bedlam in the middle of the Christmas season? Jes' wonderin'.
*
A house-wise rant of another species here
*