Greetings and salutations, everyone; yes, once again it is I, your popular host, Mani the purebred border collie, here today just to explain why I haven’t posted for a while. You may remember me from such posts as “Some Light, Some Dark”, among so many, many others.
Here I am in a characteristic pose.
If I look a bit subdued, it’s because I am. We are, really. A possibly very bad thing is happening right now: snow, and record cold temperatures. It’s supposed to get down to zero tomorrow night. That’s not normal at all.
The guy I live with worries that the snow won’t melt, and there that will now be snow on the ground here until March or April. That’s not a joke.
A lot of the woody plants may not have been prepared for this sudden extreme cold, so we don’t know what next year might bring. Of course that’s true for everything in life, isn’t it?
The other thing that’s happening is that the guy I live with really hurt his leg, I guess today, so walking has been hard. He thinks that the hormone therapy wearing off is affecting his muscles, and making it easier to injure himself.
On top of that, it seems like it’s right before Christmas, since we wouldn’t expect this sort of weather for at least six weeks. So now, with his hurt leg and it being so cold, he’s starting to think about how much his wife loved Christmas, and it’s making him very, very sad, because this is another of those tenth anniversary things.
Naturally we have things to offset that. The guy I live with saw his friend last week, and then went to the urologist yesterday and the tests showed “cancer well treated”, so maybe I’ll have him around for a few more years.
And, even better, maybe, we’ve developed an excellent set-up for watching TV, where I lay my head on one of the pillows, cuddling up against the guy I live with, while he watches Monty Python. Over and over again, as is the custom here.
He says sometimes my ears are in the way, but whatever.
The only other thing, or really, the only other thing I have that comes with pictures, is the geese yesterday. The whole sky was filled with this trilling sound, not honking like usual. There were hundreds of geese. 
I know you can’t really see them. This was a phone picture. The guy I live with put the picture in Lightroom and zoomed in a bit, so maybe you can see a few of the geese.
He said they were flying to a lake southeast of here, or maybe to Chatfield Reservoir, which is more south of here, so they should have been making a right turn pretty soon. But it was certainly something to see, and hear.
So anyway that’s what’s been happening. Not a huge amount of stuff, except for it being really cold. The guy I live with isn’t going to give up gardening, and we’re not going to move, because his friend is here, but maybe there will be talk of hoophouses or greenhouses in the future. A house full of hoops sounds weird to me.
I’ll leave you with a fairly frigid picture of me, surveying stuff, like always.
Until next time, then.
the miserable gardener 
Sorry to hear about the leg injury; don’t know if you all have a microwave and those rice bags that can be heated up and used to treat muscle pain injuries? They are a staple for us here, especially when it gets chilly in the house! Sadly they don’t do much for weather damaged outdoor plants. The dogs like to lie on the warmed rice bags too, so we need lots of them, because what the dogs want the dogs get, of course.
ceci
I pretty much agree that I get everything I want, though the guy I live with is insisting that the back door be closed today. Usually it’s open until we go to bed. (Even though, sometimes, mice sneak into the house that way.) On his way back from the urologist he stopped at a drug store to get some of those clip-on dark glasses for his glasses, because he broke the little snap when he put them in his pocket, and also got a heating pad. In fact, maybe that’s what made him sad all day today. Going to the drug store to buy a heating pad. He and his wife would go to the drug store and get household things like that. For some reason his leg feels better without the brace he was wearing. That’s kind of weird.
The weather is always with us. plus ça change, baby. plus ça change.
Rice bags are the best for all sorts of reason. Lavender oil helps, too. The plants will manage. As always…one way or the other.
The guy I live with is irked because this is “supposed” to be the start of our gardening season here, not the end. Starting with crocuses, cyclamen, and snowdrops.
And now what? Time for a hoop house, he says.
Good of you to drop in Mani, and tell us how things are for you two. It is worrying when you hear from a blogger for a while, then nothing. It is good that he has you to keep him company.
It’s hard to think of things to say when nothing is happening. At least for me.
The guy I live with talks regardless.
Cheers to the “cancer well treated” news and my sympathy for . . . everything else. I truly don’t know how you handle the weather you have in Colorado.
The guy I live with says thanks. The hormone blocker therapy is wearing off, too. He’ll be his usual tough, Hemingway-like self in no time. (Snicker.)
It’s nine degrees here, and still snowing. As a purebred border collie, I wouldn’t really say that he “handles” the weather here at all. You should hear what he says, in private.
“It’s nine degrees here, and still snowing”…. ‘Dat’ snow be a blessing.
I guess. I like it a lot. The guy I live with, not so much. He’s weak, you know.
If I was a goose, I’d be out of there too. It got cold here too and the fall show is over. But when I feel sorry for myself, I’ll think of Colorado. I used to think of Redding in the summer, they were always so much hotter. Sometimes we are now. I’m happy for your good news and sorry about the sadness. This time of year brings it on sometimes. Will all your blooms survive for a while under the snow? In case it ever melts?
The guy I live with isn’t really sure how things will fare, especially since the forecast for next week calls for “below seasonal normals”, a refrain we heard last winter. Mid-forties, instead of the normal mid-fifties.
Today was a much better day for him because it was sunny all day. It felt like right before Christmas, yesterday.
There are more geese than people here in Denver, during the winter. That includes the whole Front Range, from Fort Collins to I guess Pueblo.
Oh Mani, Tell the guy I’m thinking of him — and so hoping the early snow & frigid temps are temporary. Tell him, too, take advantage of physical therapy & do all the exercises they set out for him. My PT, Tasha, says you gain so much by doing so little. That one helps keep me going. Plus the fact that she’s right. Hope your guy finds times of joy and levity through the dark season.
Thanks. It turns out that a little over ten minutes on the exercise bike helped a lot.
It was very sunny today, so things were okay. Except for what he said about the snow. I liked it, but he needs to order me some snow boots.
Not pink ones like Chess had.
EEEKKKK!!!! Mani what a ruff time you an yore ‘guy’ are havin!! Wee have watched THE mewss an seen all THE snow an wee thott of you both. Iss too earlee fore snow anywhere!
Wee are getting cloudy dayss an tempyture droppin little bye little….an now it iss tore-en-shal rain today an tonite!!
Wee just got to stay strong…..
Wee so worried ’bout yore ‘guy’ hertin himself….iss there any Cal-see-um vitamin or sumthin that hee can take to help him not get herted? Pleese give yore ‘guy’ mee reegardss Okay?
***purrsss*** BellaDharma
Pee S: LadyMew sendss white lite of healin to yore ‘guy’ too!
Pee S S: Yore so hansum Mani…trulee hansum….
There is a lot of snow here, still.
The guy I live with says thanks; it’s probably the hormone (testosterone) coming back that’s causing his muscles to ache. Funny thing is that he can spend five minutes on the exercise bike downstairs and everything is fine.
He did forget to ask the doctor about that, last week. He’s taking calcium because of the hormone blocker.
I agree I’m pretty handsome. …
Mee-yow that snow iss ten-a-shuss an ree-fusess to leever there! Wee have had more wet snow an hail butt it all melted. It iss grey an chilley an damp…UCKY!!
Mee iss sorry yore ‘guy’ iss still not 100 purr cent. Hee sure iss a fighter!
An Mani yore hansum an humbell at THE same time…purrfect! 😉
Thanks. It’s easy for me to be humble, you know. The guy I live with kind of disagrees.
The snow is melting here pretty quickly, which wasn’t what we expected at all. It’s 51 degrees F right now; the forecast is for that kind of weather all week. Slightly below freezing at night.
I don’t hear any complaining from anyone I know.
Iss guud mewss yore snow iss meltin there Mani! Today wee have more rain an wind…then it getss sunny fore a bit so mee goess out inn condo. Then all of a sudden it cloudss over an rainss again…rinse an ree-peet! Mee just got cot inn a downburst an THE wind all most took mee an Condo to Kansas! EEKKK!! Mee stay inn-side fore rest of day; too wild fore mee out there!!
Mew mew mew yore ‘guy’ not think yore humbell?? Hu’manss are so funny! Wee 4 leggedss are just confydent! 😉
Oh dear. It would never, ever, ever rain here from now until the middle of March.
Okay, sometimes a little, but then always turn to snow. It has misted here, maybe once every fifteen years, and it makes the guy I live with pretty happy.
The guy I live with says he thinks purebred border collies are kind of self-centered. Loyal and brave and totally fierce and incredibly smart, but also a bit self-centered.
And kind of peculiar.
Meow meow Mani guess what?? It iss REELLY snowin this afternoon. It was sunny an nice to bee out inn condo this mornin. Aftur mee came inn, it clouded over. No big deel…..then it started wet snow an then REEL snow an it iss comin down like wild now! Now mee knowss why Chico an Chewy bin storin food since June!
An mee thinkss Bordur Colliess are furry kewl poochiess! An furry clevurr! An reel guud lookin…mee not think yore slefy centered…now mee ISS selfy centered at timess….yore ‘guy’ wuud not want to live with mee….mee can bee bossy! 😉
I agree that we purebred border collies are pretty cool. The guy I live with’s friend has a kitty and she (the kitty) is sort of bossy. She wants to do what she wants to do.
It was nice today, about 55 degrees Fahrenheit, and then all of a sudden it got really cold, wind from the north, and now it’s misting. That was pretty neat.
The guy I live with said it was supposed to be about 70 this weekend.
Mee-yow wow did you jit 70 today Mani??? Iss like 25 F here an so chilley an a few stray snowflakes!! Yore weather iss a bit,,,,ummm well….sorta….kinda crazey!
An yore ‘guy’s frendss cat sounds furry self mottyvated….sum of us catss are like that…. 😉
It got up to 77 degrees today. Humidity around ten percent. It’s supposed to snow on Monday…The guy I live with’s friend’s kitty is very sweet, I hear. Like me. Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
Mew mew mew Mani that cat must bee SUM sweet….’cause yore THE sweetest poochie mee knowss!
77 deegreess?? Like a heet wave! an snow comin Monday?? Furry furry weerd mee frend!
Thanks; I agree that I’m pretty sweet.
Yes, it was that warm here today. Then it’s going to get cold, and then warm up again. That’s typical for here.
Meow-wow yore weather iss so upss an down Mani!! Mee wuud bee so confused!
Mee hopess yore Autumm stays til next month…iss too earlee fore Winter reelly?
Our weather is pretty much up and down. The guy I live with likes the “up” part better…
Mew mew mew makess sense Mani! Wee are gettin lake effect snow here today an it iss so chilley out! Mee not even stick mee nose out THE door!
Inn LadyMew’ss werld this ‘down’ iss an upss’ fore her! 😉
Couple inches of snow here, today. It was pretty chilly on my evening walk.
EEKKK!! You gotted more snow there?? FISHSTICKSS!! Winter arrived too earlee fore mee likin Mani…**sighsss**
Guess more nappin time fore us rite?
It’s always time to nap, but the snow here is melting now.
Sent from Mail for Windows 10
Yay for the cancer well treated! You’re right to survey stuff so diligently, Mani. Stuff needs surveying. I can identify with the guy you love with’s hatred of cold. The rental we’re in while our house is worked on is exceedingly cold. You would probably love it, dear dog. One good thing is I’m allowed to feel like I’m in Colorado, watching geese fly overhead. Dreary days get anyone down, especially someone with memories. Perhaps the planning for hoophouse acquiring and installing will energize the atmosphere around your place. And while you might not like pink snow booties, Mani, that blanket on which you characteristically pose becomes you excellently.
Thanks; that pink afghan, though I guess maybe it isn’t really one, has been here for a long time. It’s heavier than the other two we have.
It’s supposed to be back up into the mid 50s here all next week, and sunny, so maybe the talk of hoophouses will go away. Fifty-five degrees, sunny, and dry. The guy I live with wants to get back to looking at crocuses, cyclamen, and snowdrops, and no talk of polar this or that.
He likes things to be normal, and not weird. I feel the same way.
The deep cold, so suddenly with no real hardening-off time… Well, your guy is entitled to be seriously steamed about that. NOT NORMAL at all. I’ve been re-reading Lauren Springer’s Undaunted Garden lately, and reflecting how unlike her description your garden’s seasons have been over the last several years. As an east-coast-raised gardener, she was surprised at how productive fall planting was. Not reliably so anymore, I’d guess. Prolonged summer warmth and drought followed almost immediately by this snow/single-digit nonsense sounds like disaster for anything not firmly established.
Our drought broke as fall weather finally moved in a month late, and fall, usually a long season, was squished into two weeks. Now we’ve had the first, light frost and it’s going to really freeze within the week. Illness has kept me indoors, and I fear I’ve missed my narrow window to plant two shrubs remaining from spring. There are worse problems, but I’ve let it get me way too down. Your handsome if subdued characteristic pose pic is cheering, as is the image of you all watching Monty Python together. Watch out for Spiny Norman!
I agree that Monty Python is excellent. I have a pillow right next to the guy I live with so I can watch TV in a reclining position, sort of, and get cuddles at the same time. The only thing is that the guy I live with gets into bed with all his clothes on and then falls asleep, and wakes up some time after midnight because it’s Tinkle Time. Going out at one in the morning is kind of strange, though it’s peaceful out, except for loud hooting.
Except for bulbs, planting in autumn has never worked much, here, because of the need to irrigate. Back in the last century it used to rain in the autumn; not any more. The guy I live with has never been much of a waterer, though he used to do it when I went to Day Care, sometimes. It accounts for a lot of different plants being grown here from ones you might expect to see.
You allow the guy you live with to watch Monty Python?!?!
He does. I like it.