Six on Saturday – New Year’s Eve, 2022

Chris Mousseau

This time last week much of southern Ontario (as well as upstate New York) was in the middle of a blizzard. Like everyone else in the village, our power went out at 4:20 p.m. Friday and didn’t flicker on again until around 2 p.m. Sunday. It was really windy. There was a lot of snow. Many trees in the County came down.

We were fortunate. The wood stove kept us warm, the back porch kept food from the refrigerator cold, I had filled several large buckets with water before the power went out so that toilets could be flushed (!!) and I had filled pots of water for drinking. The wind was such that most of the snow blew over us, leaving the ground almost bare in some spots, with drifts no deeper than a few feet in other spots. Only one tree fell across the driveway.

Others not far from us had snowdrifts more than two metres/six feet high blocking their roads and doors and were without heat or power for much longer than us. More than three dozen people in Buffalo, about three hours west of us, died in what’s being called the storm of a lifetime.

As you might imagine, there’s not much happening in my garden for this last Saturday of the year; however, above seasonal temperatures the past few days have melted much of the snow in my yard, revealing a few surprises. I’m happy to join Jim Stephens, who writes in Garden Ruminations, where he hosts a Saturday show-and-tell on his site for gardeners around the world.

First up, in time for New Year’s Eve cooking, are a pair of herbs that seem to have survived both the blizzard and preceding frigid nights just fine – parsley and oregano:

Also revealed, and even more surprising, is the last annual of 2022 – a lovely, albeit lonely, strawflower:

And one final surprise, a multitude of Nigella seedlings:

That tree I mentioned that fell across the driveway wasn’t too large. This is what it looks like now:

My Christmas gift this year was a pair of trail cams. It seems they’re designed for hunters, but I’ve wanted a night time camera for a while now, to spy on the nocturnal habits of our local dear, coyote and rabbits. Hopefully I followed the (very poorly written) instructions correctly and will soon enough be able to share some interesting wildlife photos:

Finally, a view of the back field, showing just how much the snow has melted in recent days. Today, on the eve of a new year, it’s raining, and I imagine even this bit of snow won’t last long. My thoughts are with those still suffering from the blizzard…I hope we all have a happy and healthy 2023.

20 Comments

  1. I can’t wait to see the pictures from this night camera. You might be as surprised as we are with some unexpected species.
    This “storm of the century” must have been terrible for some and according to your description, the days must have been difficult while waiting for the return to normal.
    Happy 2023 Chris !

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  5. I think it almost takes a nuclear event to upset nigella! I planted a couple some years ago and now seem to spend a lot of time pulling them out. Your storm featured quite a lot on our news and must have been a terrifying experience for many people. I wondered if there would be floods when the snow and ice melted.

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    1. The wind was very loud, both in itself and as it bent trees every which way. We can also hear waves from Lake Ontario pounding the shoreline a few hundred metres away. I think it must have been terrifying for those living surrounded by trees close to their homes. And yes, today, after much rain and melting snow, there are many flooded fields and yards…

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  7. That fallen tree does not look too terribly bad. Our weather is typically quite mild, but a storm with very heavy rain just finished, causing floods and mudslides, as well as fallen trees. One happened to squash a neighbor’s car.

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  8. We have seen pictures of the terrible snow storms and my heart goes out to you all. I am amazed that the little nigella seedlings have survived, sometimes it is the unlikely ones that are the toughest. I’m really looking forward to seeing your wildlife shots, the world is waiting, you better read those instructions right! Happy New Year, Chris, have a good one.

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  9. Love the strawflower. It’s such a bit of brightness in your landscape. I’ll be interested in what the game cam catches, too. A friend discovered a trespasser on his — you never know!

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