Georgia is closed today

It started snowing yesterday around noon. The snow fell in big, lacy flakes. As the afternoon wore on we accumulated about 4 inches of wet snow.

About 3pm the gunshots started. Not real guns, but the sound of pine branches breaking off sounds like a gunshot. My neighbors and I skidded around the parking lot as we moved our cars to spaces that were not located under trees. It was rather funny seeing Chinese, Indian, Korean, and American folks shouting and directing each other to new parking spaces. We were all laughing and shaking our heads in amazement at the unusual snowfall.


Grad students making a snowman

My electricity went out around 4pm and didn't come back on until 3am.

This morning the sun is shining on accumulated snow that has frozen solid in the cold temperatures (about 29F at 9am). We're supposed to warm up this afternoon to about 45F.

The University of Georgia is closed for the day, as are many other regional schools and businesses. YAY!!!! Snow day!!! It does feel odd not having school for weather that where I grew up we'd likely be wearing shorts and laughing at all the southern drivers that can't hack driving on sanded roads. I am not going to complain about the snow day however. It is a nice break.


Snow on Dogwoods

Gardening

I signed up for a small plot with UGA family and graduate housing this morning. The area for gardening is approximately 10' X 10'. Not huge, but I can grow some peas and spinach and maybe something else. My work with the farmers in Mozambique inspired me, but I haven't had the chance until now to put my enthusiasm into practice.

I was never the gardener with enthusiasm that Chris was but I do like to garden. My parents kept a large garden to supply the table when I was a kid. My job was to help with weed control which I hated. Probably why I'm not so keen on gardening as others might be. As an ethnobotanist, I now realize that many of the weeds I was pulling were actually edible. Someday, maybe I'll garden just weeds.

UGA groundskeeping is holding a gardeners meeting on Wednesday evening to talk about how we can garden under drought. They're installing rain barrels, but of course there are other possibilities. I'm thinking dirty dishwater and the water run at the beginning of a shower are perfectly acceptable for watering my garden.