This February has brought a historic “whiplash” to mid-central Florida. We haven’t seen a cold snap like this in about a decade—nights where the thermometer plummeted to 23 degrees and daytime highs struggled to break 60.
In our home, gardening and animal care are a daily rhythm, but a deep freeze turns that rhythm into a rescue mission. It becomes a matter of stewardship—protecting the life that relies on us when the weather turns “cold-catching.”
Tending the Flock and the Feral
When the wind began to howl, the outside cats grew restless. To help them keep their internal “furnaces” running, I switched to a feeder I kept full day and night. For the oldest momma cat, I provided a piece of flannel to curl into. There is a quiet beauty in seeing them now, napping together in the garden beds, wrapped in a bundle for comfort.
The hens needed their own shield, so I wrapped the coop in a tarp to minimize the wind blowing through. It’s in these small, practical acts—tucking in a coop or offering a scrap of fabric—that the heart of “life at home” really beats.
The Garden’s Response
The transition moved in so quickly. One week our lows were 55; the next week, our highs were 55. The garden shows the scars of that shift:
The Losses: My Evergreen tomato and chrysanthemum appear to be gone. However, I have cuttings of both that are growing well—a bit of insurance for the next season.
The Survivors: My pepper plant lost every single leaf to the frost, but today I see tiny new leaves popping up.
The Cool-Season Stars: The onions and peas are thriving in the chill, though I’m now hearing we’ll be in the 80s next week. I need to run a line for the peas soon and hope they can handle the heat.
The Beauty of the Pivot
Survival in the garden—and at home—is about knowing when to lean in and when to let go. Whether it’s sewing a seam on a Monday or wrapping a coop on a freezing Sunday, we work with what the day gives us.
As always you are welcome to shop the Avon Digital Brochure at Diane’s Boutique.
The product I’m using daily is Moisture Therapy hand cream. Daily Defense is my favorite, but the Intensive Healing & Repair is what we need to keep up with our bipolar Florida weather! It was 82F Saturday, it’s currently 45F at 9:15 in the morning on Monday. I can hear my dad, “sure wish they’d remember to close the door when they come down”. As in “who left the door open?!”
Have a great day. Worry less, Pray more. And stay warm!
Diane, chief anchor, writer, and dish washer.