A blanket

Photo courtesy of NASA.

Since we've been on the subject of snow around here lately, have you seen this image of Great Britain? It's not supposed to snow in England, at least not more than a light dusting or something! But to see the entire island covered in white is just stunning. It's pretty enough to print and hang on the wall.

A conversation starter

Did you get a Dirt Bag for Christmas? Because I did, and that itself was the first conversation about this sack. Why, for instance did my best friend send me the Dirt Bag? "Because you're the only person that wouldn't get offended if I called them a dirt bag! And it's sooo cool," Susan explained.

She's right. I don't get offended very easily and the bag is quite clever. Its hearty burlap exterior is lined with an impervious blue tarp. I can use it in the garden but I love it so much I've been using it as my grocery tote. Today at Trader Joe's a man went out of his way to tell me a dirt bag joke.

Q: What's the difference between a Hoover and a Harley-Davidson?

A: The location of the dirt bag.

There's snow in my heart

There is something so wonderful about a big snowfall. I have fond memories of sitting inside by the radiator and watching the snow inch its way higher with big fluffy flakes. I love the purplish-gray color of the snowy night sky, and the way snow can balance itself on power lines. I also love the calm that comes with a big snowstorm. Nobody goes anywhere. Nobody expects anything. Everybody just wants to sit in the warmth and listen to the quiet.

I don't have those moments in California. "Summer year round," as my friend Phran calls it, has its low points. "This time of year, most gardeners around here are on a break from outdoor chores," Phran says in her Garden Report on Philadelphia's KYW News Radio. A break from gardening to lay inside and watch the snow fall sounds so delightful that I almost, for a second, thought I could live in the cold again. That was until I remembered shoveling.

A little rain goes a long way

Gardening wasn't a hobby of mine before I bought a house on a quarter acre of nearly bare land. I had some idea of what to do with plants from helping my mother in her garden as a child. But gardening in lush and green Pennsylvania is not like gardening in the coastal dessert we call San Diego. I finally figured out that the sprinklers in the lawn were there for a reason, a good reason, it never rains here. Well, as Thomas says, never say never. We get about 11 inches of rain annually compared to the 45 or so inches I grew up knowing. And those 11 inches come this time of year meaning I have more gardening to do in the winter than in the summer.

I didn't know how much water to give plants, and as a result I lost quite a few plants in the early days of my California garden. Then winter came and plants began to sprout and bloom and grow. But then warm spring days led into hot summer sunshine and my garden suffered. Many of the plants are drought tolerant but I didn't understand they first needed to establish themselves before they could use less water. Now that I am equipped, albeit through trial and error, with a better understanding of what these California plants need to survive many more of them are doing just that.

A brief review

I've been thinking that I need to spend some time to reflect over the last year to see how I've filled my time. Then I got all whiny that we didn't take a vacation in 2009 and all we did was work, but I sat down and looked through my photos and we actually did some fun stuff this year. Who knew?

1. I had a puppy party, or two, or three.

2. We replaced our very seventies kitchen floor with a new laminate floor and it was so worth it.

3. I gained a great sister-in-law.

4. I turned 30 and got a new camera.

5. My sister came to visit, but I don't have a photo.

6. We planted a cactus garden with some really cool plants.

7. Thomas' nearly-90 year old granny came to visit us from England.

All in all the year wasn't so bad I guess. Looking back on photos and blog posts not only helps me remember the fun things I've done but it gives me a lot to look forward to for the next year. What sort of home improvement projects will we do, what kind of work will I have, who will come visit, will I get off my butt and start the website I want? Maybe next year's December 31st post will answer some of these questions!

What about you? What are you looking forward to doing next year? Here's to a fun 2010!