Garden Pic Wednesday: Frozen Chicks

-
Last night we had basically an ice storm. A light bit of rain and freezing temps overnight left a sparkle of ice over everything this morning.
Hubby had to scrape a thin coating of ice off the driver side of the wind shield this morning---he used an expired Chick-Fil-A card, since he didn't have a scrapper handy. 
The sun had already melted away frost on the passenger side. It was working quickly on everything else, too, by the time I walked around with my camera later in the morning.

I did get some nice photos of my Hen & Chick succulents dotted with frozen ice specks:
A coating of ice doesn't bother them. I love these things!








A Little Solar Science:
If you've been paying attention to solar science, then you may already know we've entered a period of solar activity time called a "Grand Solar Minimum."
That means the sunspot and flare activity on our sun has dropped from being very active to very minimal. Our sun has a normal, rhythm of more or less sunspot and flare activity and this effects the warmth or coolness of Earth temperatures.
When sunspot and flare activity is high, Earth temps are warmer.
When sunspot activity gets very low, the Earth temps are cooler resulting in colder, longer winters.

Sunspot and flare activity fluctuates all the time, but when it goes into a "Grand Solar Minimum," that means the sunspot activity drops to a very low level and stays low like that for years, even decades.

A really bad, long one occurred between 1650 to about 1700 when sunspot activity actually dropped all the way to zero, for reasons science doesn't know. The dikes in Holland froze solid. It's classed a "Mini Ice Age."

However, this Grand Solar Minimum isn't predicted to be that severe, since sunspot activity isn't zero; just very minimal.
What it does mean, however, is longer, colder, more brutal winter weather then we've seen on Earth for centuries that will last for an unspecified, but lengthy number of years---exactly how many is a guess. Scientists think at least 10 to 15 years.
But they are guessing. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment!

Popular posts from this blog

Good Eating Monday: Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing!

-
Image
Now this some wicked good dressing!  I tried it for Thanksgiving this year and everyone loved it! I've been looking for just the right dressing and I may have finally found it!  It's also healthy with a tasty combo of fruit, veggies and a mix of white & whole wheat bakery breads. It will fill a  fill a 9 x 13 pan.  You can use fresh or dried herbs. I've included the measurements for both. Just remember dried seasoning is more concentrated in flavor because it is dried, so you need less of it then fresh herbs. I have fresh Parsley growing outside and this was a great use for it! I found leftover over stuffing wonderful heated up and topped with a over-easy egg for lunch!  Apple Cranberry Sausage Stuffing Ingredients:  5 1/2 cups fresh European style or sourdough bread, white, sliced and cubed 2 1/2 cups wheat bread, whole grain sliced and cubed 1 lb ground pork or turkey ( I used Jimmy Dean's Turkey Crumbles, which was 8 oz and that worked great! ) 1 1/2
Read more

Good Eating Monday: Peach Cobbler Dump Cake!

-
Image
Yes, I tried another new Pinterest recipe and this one is a winner! The primary dictionary definition of a "Dump Cake," is an easily made cobbler in which cake mix is dumped over canned fruit or pie filling.  This recipe was pinned from Del Monte, which means it's been a recipe that's been created & tested in a corporate test kitchen. That's one benefit of all those label, can & box recipes provided by manufacturers on their product packaging. You can even buy cookbooks featuring nothing, but package & label recipes of which many are vintage. The only changes I'd suggest is add one more 15 oz can of fruit. It can be more peaches, cherry fruit cocktail, regular fruit cocktail or whatever you want. (So, I've noted 4 cans of peaches in the recipe.)   It just needs a little more volume on the fruit quantity.  And stir a teaspoon or two of cinnamon into the fruit! Otherwise, this is an excellent, quick dessert you can serve hot with v
Read more

Good Eating Monday: Old Fashioned Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding!

-
Image
Welcome to the first week of February! It's supposed to be 31 degrees tonight, so after cleaning up the front walk beds, I went around covering various things that either are blooming, about to bloom or that have sensitive leaf buds, like my hydrangea's.  I picked all the yellow daffodils and brought them inside for a cheerful vase on my counter. For Garden Pic Wednesday this week I have an excellent photo of a pine tree flower! You didn't know pine trees flower?  Well, you'll have to stop back for a look! Today's Good Eating Recipe is a family favorite my Mother used to make often for us as kids: Old Fashioned Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding! What Old Fashioned Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding Looks Like This is just your basic wholesome old fashioned bread pudding made with just eggs, bread, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar & raisins! No sauces to make. Just simple bread pudding. We'd eat it hot with a little evaporated milk poured over the top.
Read more

Garden Pic Wednesday: Ajuga & Lettuce Crop

-
Image
T oday's Garden Pic is a nice January shot of some Common Ajuga draping over the edge of a large container out front & my bumper crop of lettuce Ajuga: It's a ground cover with a burgundy tinge to it's leaves. It reaches it's best color in shade, but can tolerate light sun. This Ajuga just gets morning sun. It throws runners like a strawberry does, spreading along the ground. It's reaching for the ground and will establish once it touches around the shady side of the stump the container sits on. It's a member of the mint family.  My Winter Crop of Lettuce: This is a french head lettuce I got ordered from Seed Savers for spring 2021. It went to seed in May 2021, then dozens popped up around Sept. I separated them, this whole 4 x 8 raised bed with them. I dined on fresh crisp lettuce all winter! I've left 2 to go to seed on one end of the raised bed, so can have lettuce all winter again!  I've joined a group a ladies in a Book Club that meets once a mo
Read more