Here in the US, Christmas begins when they (the ubiquitous THEY) decide it is time to start selling & ends 12/26-or-so, but in most of the world, Christmas begins December 25th & ends yesterday. While there were no lords'a'leaping in my world, there was (& still is) an unusually cold weather pattern hanging around. Being able to see my breathe, wearing every article of clothing I own, the long long night clearly visible in the big windows of our Florida room has brought home the season to me in ways I have not felt it in years. I could even say decades. It seems only right that I spent the 12th day of Christmas at herbarium with the holly & the ivy. Well, the holly anyhow-I am up to Aquifoliaceae.
This is not a particularly large family, at least not collection-wise, but unlike so many others it is world-wide. I ended 2009 with my first specimen from Ireland & spent yesterday tromping through Brazil, Cuba, Surinam & left after cross-referencing multiples of Ilex dahoon, a vigorous Florida native.
On December the 23rd campus was largely deserted. A & I did not go out to lunch as we usually do when I am on campus. We would have liked to, but all the on-campus restaurants close when the students are away. The weather was lovely, I stopped by the farmers market (the only bustling place in the whole town) & walked around the Plaza.
On the 12th day of Christmas it was bitter cold-seriously. The temperature got up to 50, but mostly hovered around 45. I am not trying to make this into a macho 45-thats-nothing-here-it is-X contest; I grew up in New England, I know what cold is. You can say my blood is thin if you like, but I promise you dry cold is just more bearable. I would take 15 & dry over 35 & humid ANY DAY. There was also an added factor: one of the turbines was dead & the back-up was dieing & so the 11th & 12th days of Christmas there was no heat on campus, at least none to speak of. & campus was hopping.
On the 12th day of Christmas I left the well heated herbarium (yup, the only place on campus that seemed to have heat was the part of the building that houses a collection that requires dry cold, satire junkies rejoice) & onto the cold sidewalk where it was wall-to-wall people. & since I am outside I mean from the wall of that building across the street to the wall of this building over here.
Which means no matter how cold it is, Christmas & winter are over.
My dad lives in Florida and he has been keeping me posted on all the cold updates. He has had to bring in their plants that were in pots, etc. I hope you stay warm and enjoy the new year. Steph
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