Silver trees

How about this beautiful forest of silver trees? Actually, it was "Jack Frost" on my garage door windows. When I backed out this morning it was 6 below zero and as I idled in the driveway waiting for the car to warm up, I glanced up and saw this fantasyland of "trees" spread across all four windows, reflecting a neighbor's house and drifts of snow in the background. So the "trees" aren't real, but the cold and snow is. I heard Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow today so spring is right around the corner. We don't really believe that here. There's been some discussion about using a prairie dog to get a local reading, but they're probably all snowed into their burrows. Meanwhile I've taken to clipping fake birds onto my flowering maple which is wintering indoors. This makes me think of warmer weather.
I'm not sure where all the real outdoor birds have gone. Lately the only customers I've had at the feeders are squirrels. But I did see a large flock of robins the other day. I happened to be looking out the front window when I saw about 50 of them land in a tree across the street. I watched them for awhile and suddenly a truck out on the main road backfired and robins exploded out of tree after tree. There were probably 150. Though most robins head south like sensible birds we always have a population of them who over-winter. I think I saw the whole crowd.
robin photo credit

AMBIVALENT ABOUT ABUTILON

I've put a lot of sweat equity into this Flowering Maple since I've owned it the last several years. Mainly hauling it in and out of the house each spring and fall in its heavy clay pot. And for what? A few bell-shaped flowers that hide under the leaves and are barely visible. Every spring I add another support post and it now looks like it's lashed to the stake awaiting a flaming torch. Why do I keep this plant? There's nothing really wrong with it, it's just so understated for such a big tree-looking thing. Now I hear I'm supposed to pinch the tip of each branch back 2 inches to give it more of a "hanging plant" structure. This is something lazy gardeners really don't want to know.
Its other name, Chinese lantern, sounds like something I have strung across my patio. I bought these at a garage sale last year for about 50 cents and wondered why they should be such a great deal since they came from Crate & Barrel and were unused. Once I put them together, I "got" it. Each requires 2 AA batteries which according to the instructions, will last in the lanterns for approximately 6 hours. Six hours! Let's see, that's about $5.19 for three lanterns for a couple of evenings. But I shouldn't worry because the unreplaceable made-in-China lightbulbs will only last 3 hours. So each evening I flick them on and off for a couple of seconds just to tease the moths drawn to the light. Or maybe I SHOULD torch the abutilon and then I'd have a real Chinese lantern.