My Christmas shopping may just have gotten a whole lot easier. When it's shopping vs. snow, I learned long ago that snow always comes out on top — and all around you. You can't live in this climate without starting your shopping early or having a Plan B. I did the former and now it looks like I may have to do the later as well.
A whopper of a storm has just started with snow currently falling at the rate of two inches an hour and winds that are expected be gusting up to 30 miles an hour while I'm tucked up in my bed. The snow should taper off sometime Friday morning. But with 8-10 inches predicted, it's going to take a session with the snow blower as well as some serious shoveling to even get our driveway passable. More snow is predicted for Saturday night into Sunday morning and Monday night into Tuesday night.
The good news is the weather should be clear for Christmas Eve and Christmas day gatherings. The better news is that my husband and I both planned to be home today and Saturday so we can ignore the weather until we're ready to hit the driveway with all the energy we've got.
The best news is that I only have a few presents left to buy and the same gift will work for most of those still on my list: the 14th annual
Madison Area Master Gardeners 2009 Wisconsin Garden Journal.
The theme of this year’s
calendar/datebook/garden journal is gardening for the senses. The MAMG Journal
includes information on how to create gardens that appeal to all five senses
but it offers much more: monthly gardening tips, beautiful images, space to
record weather information, seed and plant inventories. I've written articles for past issues and my husband has contributed photos because we appreciate the mix of aesthetics and practicality.
In addition to being a
beautiful and useful gift, it’s locally produced as well as aimed at local
gardeners. But since it covers USDA Zones 3-5, it works for almost anyone who's gardening in the upper Midwest in those zones — like you, perhaps? What's nice about this gift is that since it's a weekly engagement calendar, it works for almost anyone — even if they're not really that into gardening. But for someone who's trying to learn or wants more information, it's an especially valuable gift.
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