October 2. The thermometer outside the south-facing kitchen window reads mid-20s. At 7 AM, on October 2. This is just…wrong.
At first glance, the flowers seem to have, against all odds, bucked the subzero (celsius) temperatures…stiff upper lip! Hydrangea macrophylla in a pot on the front porch, still blooming pink. African impatiens, hanging in there. Zinnia elegans (green 'Envy') still green, even plucky in the annual bed.
Then the sun rises to full height, and it’s all over. Hydrangea petals turn a tea-stained brown. (Why didn’t the author bring in the pot last night? D’oh!) African impatiens, wilted and soggy. Zinnia…browned flowerheads, blackened leaves (that is, where they’re not already greyed from the last month’s bout with powdery mildew. D’oh!).
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