Here in the Central Valley of California, winter is vastly
different from what I enjoyed/endured in my early years.
In upstate New York, I remember when the
temperature plummeted to 52 degrees below zero.
In Massachusetts, the snow fell and fell and fell.
And not so long ago here, winters gave us endless
rain and fog.
In more recent years,
winters have meant occasional rain—not nearly enough—and much less fog than
previously and an occasional overnight freezing temperature.
This does not bode well for our reservoirs
even though they are easier winters for us homosapiens to endure.
This early winter/late fall, we are
expecting freezing weather and even a possibility of snow. According to the local newspaper, The Sacramento Bee, there was a dusting
of snow in 2002, 1996 and 1988 and significant snowfall in 1976. I remember that 1976 snowfall when I lived in the San Francisco Bay area; and based on my
youth in New England and New York, I would never have described it as “significant.” Rather it was enough to roll up the tiniest
snowman, make a snow angel and maybe fashion a few snowballs to throw for the
dog to fetch. And those were only
possible if done immediately after the snow fell because it melted away in
record time.


Tonight I am worried for my precious Meyer’s lemon tree that I've been coddling for several years as we’ve been told the temperature will fall
below freezing. After many years of a lemon-less tree, we finally have what
can modestly be called a “crop”—nine lemons in all.
Lest Jack Frost consider the demise of my citrus treasures, all have been plucked from the scraggly
tree.
I’ll not yield a single
lemon to Jack Frost.
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