Camarosa Strawberries in NC

If you live in North Carolina, camarosa strawberries are now available at Lowe's Foods. Well, I imagine they are at other grocery stores too. I just shop at Lowe's. It's nearby.

These particular berries come from Plant City, Florida. Joel and I were there in January and learned when this variety would be coming in.

They're here. Get the ice cream and shortcake !

Actually, my favorite berry is the Sweet Charlie. However, growers don't like it because the berry cat faces. It's not pretty, but is packed with sweet, strong strawberry flavor. If I can't get them, then I opt for the Camarosa or Chandler - in that order. Both are pretty, firm and full of sweet flavor. They also can pretty well.

Finally Got Snow in '09

Across the street, these Leland cypress are resting upon my neighbor's car.

Here is my snow-covered compost pile. What is growing out of it? Plum trees. The original plant was not placed far enough in the ground and I'm dealing with roots spanning out from it - nearly all over my back yard. Now that the ground will be wet, I can easily pull them up. This is my catnip and tansy garden. They haven't been cut back since last fall. They have stalks about 6 feet tall.

Doc didn't really like the snow.

Katie, on the other hand, who normally loves to be outside, took a fireside snooze.

We finally got some snow. March 2009 came in like a lion, but with gentle new-fallen snow. Well, it apparently wasn't so gentle - WSPA-TV in Spartaburg lost their tower because of the high winds. I know what it's like to work at a TV station that has a downed tower - did that at WWAY in January 1981 when an F-104 fighter jet hit one of the wires. So my heart goes out to the employees at my former SC station.

Here are some photos around my house and neighborhood. The make-shift greenhouse is mine and inside it's raining. The Myers lemon isn't ready to pick, but will be soon. I got one off the tree a couple of days ago. I see I have a rose getting ready to bloom. Note I use a small steamer, the kind you put in a baby's room, for heat and humidity.

Doc preferred looking outside.
Some of my camellias just collapsed under the weight of ice and snow. The one on the left is normally about 25 feet tall.

Last week, I collected my soil samples. They're in the Easter egg buckets on my porch and were drying out for me to mail.

Four inches? Out in the yard it was more like five or six. The wind was blowing, so measurements differ all over the place.

Snow came last night and into the wee hours of the morning.

This is my snow-covered garden.