What to do in Oregon When the Weather is Bad

This is a subject near and dear to my heart, because so many people complain about the weather here. Out-of-staters often wonder if we Oregonians stand around in 2 feet of water all year. In fact, so many jokes have been made about Oregon's weather it was the subject of many popular t-shirts a couple of decades ago.

Although we certainly have our rainy seasons here, (Spring and Fall) the climate is gorgeously mild. I personally think that affords more outdoor activity opportunities than places where heavy snow and extreme heat are common.

Here are some lovely outings/activities for the rainy and cold months of the Southern Coast:

1. Hiking: Put on a rain jacket and some boots if necessary. The air smells fresh and fantastic during the colder months.You'll feel energized and beat the winter blues.

2. Go crabbing: During the Fall and Winter the famous Dungeness crabs have full body meat. Dress warm, bring a thermos, chairs, a picnic lunch and a good book. At the end of the day, you'll have a crab feast to reward your efforts.

3. Fishing: Okay, this isn't for everyone. But if your just needing out of the house, it could be fun.

4. Beach Combing: Although our rocky coast breaks up many shells, there are beaches where excellent specimens can be found. Locals with 4-wheelers know where to find lovely unbroken sand dollars. The beaches between Coos Bay and Bandon are great for agate-hunters.

5. Artisan Glass Floats: The City of Florence hosts a program that hides hand blown glass floats on local beaches. They are 'planted' throughout the year and each one is both exotically lovely and completely original. Search Florence beaches for these beauties.

6. Mushroom Hunting: Yes, I've said this a hundred times before and I'll keep saying it. It's fun, good exercise and has tasty results. Just be sure to use caution and common sense.

7. Country Driving: One of my absolute favorite things to do. Why? Because so much of this area's beauty is down old country roads. Just take one and discover things you have never seen before.

8. Photography: The waves this time of year are big. Go get some pics of the awesome spray that shoots into the air when a large wave hits a tall outcropping of rock. Beautiful!

9. Surf: You won't catch me doing this, but for the young and adventurous it is a local favorite.

This is far from an exhaustive list, but it will get you started. The key to enjoying life is enjoying yourself no matter what the weather is like. Stop complaining and go have fun!

Happy New Year,
-E

Scratch-n-sniff Oregon

Mushroom season is just beginning. We comb wooded areas in search of Chanterelles. The forest floor smells of pine needles, decaying plant matter, and moist earth. Undergrowth is minimal, the perfect environment for little mushrooms.

I pick an apricot-colored chanterelle from its spongy moss bed. The light fruit aroma of it matches its color. Into the bag it goes.

Several paces away, clustered around a rotted tree stump, I see more of them. I'm like a child again, hunting Easter eggs. No dress this time. No basket, gloves, or shiny patent shoes. But the excitement of discovery is just the same as I remember it.

Days later I'm at the stables picking blackberries. As Dante' rides her horse and Maxwell plays, I stand before the prickly vines filling a small bucket. It is hot and the sun brings the odor of the berries to my nose. Hot, sticky, and sweet, they smell of late summer and fresh pies.

I shuffle my feet trying to angle my way to a better picking position without getting scratched by the vines. This crushes the wild mint under my feet. Inhaling deeply brings the cool refreshing scent deep into my lungs. Combined with the jammy sweetness of the berries, it is a gratifying moment.

Not all the smells here are wonderful. Low tide in the bay makes us look suspiciously at each other, wondering which of us was the 'offender'. " I swear I didn't!", vows the accused. "It's low tide!"

There is the pungency in spring of the skunk cabbage, the pervasive odor of 'cow' at the dairy farm, and the fishiness of the oyster processing plant.

Having said that, however, I wouldn't change any of it. After all these years, it all just smells like home.

-E

garden notes.........

Went to my absolute FAVORITE U-Pick place today and got a lot of peaches, carrots and basil that will need to be dealt with. It's early a.m. here so I'll have to post the pics of that after a few hours of sleep.

In the morning, my friend Dawn will come over and help can peaches. In the meantime, I've made several batches of pesto and stashed them in the freezer. As I type this, basil dries up in the dehydrator overnight. I'll use it all winter in casseroles, soups, and salad dressings.

Early yesterday, Max and I dug up our trove of fingerling potatoes. Fingerlings are rather small, irregularly shaped, and elongated. A bit like fingers if you've got a vivid imagination. :) They fetch a costly price in the store as a specialty item. I simply grew them because a friend gave me some starts.

The green beans have finished for the season. Secretly I'm happy. There comes a point when you've seen one too many. For now, I'll be content to make myself weary of the peaches.

And after all these months of waiting, guess what??? Soybeans!! Finally! I'd begun to think they'd never show up. At least once a week some inquisitive person wants to know what that 'green mound' is in my front yard. That, I inform them, is my soybean patch. Minus the soybeans. But now they are growing and I'm quite happy. We may yet have edamame to snack on this winter.

So tune in tomorrow, another spate of pictures is on the way.
Happy Eating,
-E

Too much of a good thing?

I love late summer. Fruits and vegetables are so plentiful it's easy to get carried away. Often I find that I've purchased or grown too much of something and don't know what to do with it. Good intentions lead me to believe I really will can all 10 pounds of beans and Pickle three bags of cucumbers in one day. Then I don't. Panic and guilt set in. What to do? Read on......

Triage your projects, so to speak. If you have raspberries, corn and peas to deal with all at once, chances are your in over your head. Sure you wanted to can them all, but that's not look like a reasonable goal right now. If you just can't live without raspberry jam, deal with that first. You'll be glad you did. If your crunched for time after that, try freezing your corn and putting your peas in to the dehydrator. Or the other way around. Whatever works. Below are some specific suggestions:

Peas: These are best frozen. Peas are the one vegetable that even professional chefs tend to use from the freezer. They don't keep long fresh and tend to get mushy when you can them. Alternatively , pop them into your dehydrator. They'll be great for soups later.

Green beans: Can them, freeze them, dehydrate them. Use small tender beans for making 'dilly beans'. Large thick green beans are better for canning as they don't turn to mush as easily.

Corn: Freezing is great, canning is fine, dehydrating is easy and convenient. For something special, try making corn relish.

Tomatoes: Canning or dehydrating is best. Dehydrated tomato slices are delicious snacks, are great in pastas, and go well in salad dressings as well as casseroles.

Zucchini and yellow squash: These are a toughie. They won't taste very good after being frozen and aren't very tempting canned either. But there are some tasty exceptions: try zucchini jam, zucchini pickles, or freeze grated zucchini for cake or breads. Also, dehydrate the slices for use in winter soups.

Carrots: Who doesn't love carrots? They are so versatile! Again, you can freeze them, can them, or dehydrate them for soups. They adapt well to all types of storage.

Blueberries: Freeze for use in pies or baked goods. Blueberries make excellent jam and if you want to try something different, they be dehydrated to use in granola, pancakes, muffins, or just snacking.

Blackberries: My husband's favorite jam is blackberry! Around here they grow wild everywhere. Free Food, yay!! Take advantage and freeze as many as you can to make pies.

Apples: In the fall, I can't seem to make applesauce fast enough to put some away for winter. The kids eat it as fast as I make it. Which is good because it's very healthy and easy to make. For a fantastic snack, dip apple slices in sugar before dehydrating. Or leave the sugar out for healthier eating. Try pureeing apples to make fruit leather in your dehydrator. And finally, make some apple pies ahead of time and freeze them to bake later on.

*When you open your cupboards/freezer and see all the good the good things you've stored for winter it's a very good feeling. Best of luck in your endeavors. If you have questions, email me at edibleoregon@rocketmail.com

-E

Your front yard "gourmet grocery store"

Listen, anyone can grow fresh gourmet veggies. And there is very good reason to do so. Have you looked at the price of snow peas and sugar peas in the grocery store? $4-$6 dollars a pound!!

Here is another compelling reason to 'grow your own': Convenience. It's no secret that I love to cook. And it's frustrating to continually run to the store for every little thing. Especially fresh herbs. You pay $2 for half wilted basil that you only use a portion of . The rest turns black before you find another recipe.

Meal planning also becomes easier. I can stroll out to garden and see what is currently ready to pick and plan accordingly. In early spring it is usually just a green salad with a few fresh herbs tossed in. As the season continues, I can add spinach, radishes, and peas. Soon I'm planning meals around broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, new potatoes, zucchini, and yellow squash.

The sad truth is our economy sucks right now. And our pantry is showing the sign-of-the-times. The end of each month is often quite lean for us.

Yesterday I opened our fridge to look for a veggie for dinner. There was only a sad, old bunch of celery in the crisper. "Not salad again", I thought to myself.

Out to garden I went. And guess what? After 10 minutes of careful fussing and picking, I was able to get enough sugar snap peas to saute' for dinner for a family of six. No driving, no shopping, no money spent.

Tomorrow I'm going to address stumbling blocks to starting your own garden. Most gardening challenges are easily overcome. So do not fear!

Then we'll talk about some simple easy preparations of garden veggies. As side-dishes, soups, and even main meals.

Many friends have commented that we eat well at my house. You can do the same at yours! Stay tuned..........

summer dialogue

Peas hang abundantly like clusters of grapes on the vine. Our cat Aphrodite becomes "Mighty Huntress". She lurks in the green of the garden, imagining herself to be pleasantly dangerous. Bean,the kitten, pounces on her. She cuffs him angrily, her cover blown.

Hummingbirds congregate at the back porch feeder- the animal kingdom's water cooler. Grr, our largest cat, chitters with anxious desire. He longs to catch them.

I grow tired of the kitchen. The cooking, the dishes, the counters, the floors- all of it. So I take Dante' and Maxwell camping.

Forty-five minutes to freedom. Our campsite is spacious, the largest I have seen. Three tents or more could fill the open spaces. But we don't need a tent today. We are staying in the yurt. It has three beds, two tables, chairs, a lamp and a heater. Very luxurious camping indeed.

I feel better at once. All the best sights, sounds, tastes, and smells are here. The vibrant crackling of campfires, the laughter of children, the chirping of birds in the massive evergreens that loom above our personal haven.

A quick, black crow announces our arrival. Be careful, I tell the children. They will eat everything you turn your back on. That night we lick the remains of burnt marshmallow from our sticky fingers. Maxwell and Dante' are impossibly beautiful by firelight.

We fall asleep beneath the canopy view of the yurt's dome. The last sound I hear is the low droning of grown-ups who talk carefully around the campfire while their children sleep.

Mid-season garden update

I absolutely love this time of year. The garden really starts to pay off in June and July. We have more lovely salad greens than I know what to do with. The peas are getting quite prolific, lovely dark green heads of broccoli are appearing. Veggie Paradise!

Something new we tried this year was potatoes and boy was it worth it! 10 Yukon gold starts have yielded more gorgeous spuds than I ever thought possible. They are so large the ground above the plants is crumbling as they burst through. It is so much fun to dig into the ground and find large new-skinned potatoes just lying around like rich women on lawn chairs!

The spinach is all gone now. It got fairly large but bolted too quickly and began to gather powdery mold due to all the rain. I had to run outside and pull it up all at once to save it. In it's place I've planted a multi-colored carrot mix. The package promises purple, white and red carrots. If they really turn out, that is going to look so cool! We have a juicer and I want to drink some purple carrot juice.

Ahhh, soybeans. Such enigmatic little plants. I fear our climate gets too much rain and too little heat for them. But they shyly hold their own. I really have high hopes for them.

Also new this year: exotic radishes. Why radishes? I just don't know. Max likes them, they are easy to grow, and there are some wicked cool varieties available. We planted these monster sized red radishes that looked just like carrots. They were pretty nifty. But check this out, I just planted some variety of Black radishes. And since we are big lovers of Japanese food, Daikon radish has been planted as well. More on that later.

Also new, the herb garden. The unused space just outside the front door under the eaves is our new herb garden location. Up and running are Borage, Cilantro, Sage,Mint, Chamomile, Parsley,Rosemary and Marjoram. The Thyme is dead. What is it about Thyme? It always dies! Is there some Thyme god I need to sacrifice to , to get this stuff to grow?

Newly planted herbs include Lemon Balm, Coriander and, ummmmm..... shoot I forgot. Something else.

On the far end of the herb garden Is a new wooden trellis I added specifically for growing climbing beans. The particular variety we are growing this year are bright red. The pretty vines are winding themselves up the trellis and climbing higher each day. One of the vines has wound itself around a sunflower. Yes, that's right. Sunflower.

All those years I lived in Kansas and never grew the dang things. Now I have three of them in my front yard! It happened because we use our rabbit compost in the garden. The rabbits eat a mix of grain and seeds, i.e. sunflower seeds. A few of them sprouted and I am letting them do their thing out of sheer curiosity.

Also new this year strawberry plants in large flower garden and baby's breath growing around the mailbox. Whew! I'm almost as tired typing this as I was doing all that work. Thank goodness Dante' is such a good helper. :)

Part II

Bleeding heart, Oregano, Society Garlic, lettuce....

Just some beautiful photos from our garden. :)

If you haven't already, go have some fun!!

It's tough to post this time of year with so much going on. The weather is beautiful, the gardens are going well, the baby goats want playing with..... Lots of wonderful distractions keep me from writing for the blog. :)

If your stuck in a rut, if your not having fun, be encouraged to try something new. I'll make a list to get you started with some ideas that are as frugal as possible.

1. Dig a pit in your back yard. Line it with bricks. Start a (safe) fire and roast marshmallows.

2. Dust off your tent and air it out. If you can't afford to go anywhere, just set it up in your front or back yard. Then camp out and do idea number 1.

3. If you don't have a yard, put a tent in your living room. We've done this and it's fabulous.

4. Lay blankets in the yard and watch the sun set.

5. Eat dinner outdoors. If you don't have a patio set (we don't) drag your dining set outdoors (don't laugh, we've done it) and enjoy a candle light dinner al fresco.

6. Roast corn on the cob for dinner. It is so delicious off the grill.

7. Go fishing and vow to eat your catch for dinner.

8. Make paper lanterns and hang them from your porch or balcony.

9. Borrow a telescope and stargaze.

10. Spend an entire day at the park, lake , or beach. No cheating and going home early.

11. "Summerize" your living space with wildflowers, throw pillows in summer-y fabrics, and don't forget to open the windows and let some light in.

12. Water balloon fight! You live near a dollar store, don't you?? Get 'em cheap.

Okay, that's plenty for now. Don't plan too much or think too hard, just go renew your spirit with some good old fashioned playtime.

love,
-E

Goaty Bliss

Maxwell wants to pet "Sheriff", who is orbiting his mother like a tiny, furry planet. She noses him indulgently, then turns back to her grain. As soon as Max gives up chase, Sheriff goes looking for him.

Feisty little Scarlett is happy to play with the humans, much to the chagrin of her mother. "Baa! Baa!", Robin calls her back. A tail wiggle, a pounce, and Scarlett is gone again.

Soon both babies are nursing their mamas. A deer watches this mixed-species gathering from the hill above. We notice her, she notices us and bounds into the treeline.

The Mamas are brought together to visit. Although grown mothers now, they butt heads like the doelings they once were. Their babies imitate their headstrong play. We laugh.

It is a great moment. One worth holding onto. :)

-Ellen

You just can't make this stuff up

Here is a play-by-play of a typical day in our life. It really should be titled, "The Good , The Bad , and The Ugly, (with yours truly playing the part of ugly) but that has already been taken. Read on. You'll laugh, you'll cry, it will become a part of you. Grinning- Ellen.





AM- * emptied the rabbit cages, lined the bottoms with newspaper, and filled both food and water containers. Shoot! We forgot to get more straw for bedding. It will have to be gotten today.

* Fed the dog and the cats. Rex generally fulfills most of his caloric requirements eating the neighbor's cat food. Aphrodite eats the dog's food. What's up with that?

* Friends come over to knit, crochet and talk. We exchange patterns, ideas and life stories.

PM* Dante', Max, Rex and friends pile into the van. We go to the community garden to tend
our plot. Surprise! Over the weekend potatoes have come up. We are jubilant. The
peas, radishes and green onions are tall. What ever happened to the beans, we
wonder? Organic slug repellent is sprinkled, stray calendula from last year's garden is
ruthlessly yanked.

* Rex ate a chocolate Easter bunny we didn't watch carefully in the car. We panic and
take him to the vet. She smiles and says he will be fine as he didn't eat enough to
make him sick.

* Next we head for the stable where we board our horse. The dog
comes along and usually causes trouble by trying to chase a horse. Max searches out
puddles and gets soaked-again.

* The goats need more grain and the girls want to see the cute guy at Milk-E-Way feed
and seed. So we drive 12 miles and buy the grain. The cute guy isn't there today,
which leaves the girls feeling rather deflated.

* We grab sandwiches and sodas at the McKay's. Full bellies make for good spirits.

* At Melissa's house we drop off the goat grain. Our pregnant girls are really fattening
up. Dante' takes some of the goats straw home for the rabbits.

* Home again, home again, jiggety-jig. We drop off Dante's friends and go back to our
house. The dog goes into his kennel, Max goes into the bathtub, and I go into the
kitchen to clean up and start dinner.

* Our cat, Aphrodite has brought a mouse inside. It promptly gets away from her and
is lost somewhere in the living room. Is that it? Did I see it? Paxson moves
furniture, Dante' shrieks, and Aphrodite grows bored. She leaves without retrieving
her prize. This would never have happened in her younger days. I realize she is
beginning to grow old.

* Phil comes home, dinner is over, we all scatter to the far ends of the house. William
helps with dishes. I fold laundry. Phil is working on taxes.

* Bedtime ritual for Max: Brush teeth, wash face, hands and feet. Read a bedtime
story before prayers. I steal a few moments of computer time before doing it all
over again.
Believe it or not, today was relatively quiet.(minus the dog drama) That is our life. It sounds crazy sometimes but it's real. You just can't make this stuff up.

Goodnight and God Bless,
Ellen

ps- I still don't know where the mouse is.

slugs

They eat the garden. Every tender shoot that dares rise above the soil line is chewn upon.( Hmmm, according to my spellchecker, 'chewn' isn't a word. I'm gonna run with it anyway.) Who knew gardening could be such a melodrama?

Slugs are just a fact of life in the pacific northwest. Our rain forest climate makes this area one big slug-growin' petri dish. They aren't typically a problem. Until you decide to actually grow things in your yard. Other than dog and cat poop, of course. I've got a bumper crop of those.

So What are my slug-killing options? Many Oregonians swear by putting beer in little dishes in your garden. The beer attracts the slugs who then drown in it. This little gem of a tip had to come from the old days when women just stayed home and played housewife all day. A few beers and even weed pulling is fun! Or was it conjured up by a couple of guys who thought drunken invertebrates would be a real knee-slapper?

But I had to try it. So I nabbed a cheap can of no brand suds from my 92-year-old grandfather's house and divvied it into custard cups. It worked. Not well enough to keep buying beer for the yard, but it did work.

At the community garden we are only allowed to use organic remedies. They keep a gallon jug of something called "Sluggo" on hand for us to use. It's a great joke to the slugs. The little pellets are sprinkled on top of the ground. Well, that's just fab for the large, above-ground slugs. But guess what I discovered while planting today? Little baby slugs living under the dirt. Holy cow, who knew? I swear they were laughing at me.

Suggestion #3- How about a pellet gun? Next time I spy a slimy critter munching on my would-be salad, it'd be more fun to just shoot it.
-E

Calendula From Hell

Last weekend I put Dante' and her friends Mariah and Danica to work. They planted most of the seeds that are set aside for the front yard garden.

I started by planting 6 asparagus plants. These things come back every year so that space is permanently occupied. Then the girls planted rows of salad mix, broccoli, soy beans, peas, cabbage, etc.

Each row was labeled with permanent marker on a wooden stake. Now for the challenges:

1. How to keep the cats from digging up the garden and pooping in it.
2. How to keep the dog from digging up the cat poop and eating it.

UGH!!

Today I went outside to admire the garden (such as it is at this point) and discovered soy beans and peas just sitting on top of the soil. What happened??? Probably a combination of two things.
1. Not planted deep enough.
2. watered too much.

At the community garden, plants are popping up everywhere. The problem is, I can't tell what the heck any of it is. Let me explain:

Last year, someone made use of their plot by haphazardly emptying TONS of Calendula seeds into the dirt and then never coming back. This resulted in hundreds of flowers that went to seed last fall. I remember thinking " I pity the poor guy that is assigned that bed next spring!".

Needless to say, that person was ME!! There are not words for how "less than thrilled" I am. Until all the plants are bigger, I have no cotton-pickin clue what is calendula and what isn't. And How many times a week am I gonna be pulling those blasted things out of the garden?

If I find out who planted those things last year, I may drive by their yard and empty packets of calendula seed.


Plotting,
-E

It's that time once again

The community garden is open, and our plot is planted. Oh yeah, I told myself to not be in a hurry. Be cool, take my time. Wait in case the weather changes. Let's face it, I'm not a waiting kind of girl.

So our little plot is full of seeds. Peas, onions, lima beans, pole beans, radishes, potatoes- as many as I could get in and not be too over-the-top. Waiting is no longer optional, but mandatory. How long 'til seedlings come up? Will it freeze again?

While waiting for those answers I will be content digging up and planting the garden in the front yard. Tiny packets of lettuces, cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, chard and spinach await their turn for planting. Herbs will occupy the space just outside the front door and make a lovely tea garden.

In mid-April Leona will open her raised garden beds for planting. Her generosity allows a space for squashes and root vegetables. Turnips , carrots, zucchini and more will be planted there.

Our goats grow fatter by the day. Their bellies are near to bursting. Will they make it until May or surprise us and kid in April? There will be sweet new babies and mommas full of milk.

I love spring and the promise of things to come.
-E

A Nearly Perfect Day

The sweet promise of Spring is the best cure for flagging spirits. We spent most of the day outdoors.

Making playdough

A basic recipe:

2 C flour
1 C salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
2 tbsp oil
2 C water
food coloring

Mix all the ingredients except the food coloring into a saucepan and and stir over medium heat until it gathers together and forms a dough. This takes about 5-6 minutes. Cool it and then knead it until it's easy to work with. Separate into balls and add food coloring of your choice.

* I've made this recipe for my kids in the States of Kansas, Virginia, and Oregon. Oregon is the only place it doesn't work so well in. The dough is great for about 1 day and then it gets gooey, even in an airtight container. If you live in an extra-humid environment like ours , you might want to try something else.

Any suggestions?

What do roast chicken and crabbing having in common?

Well, they have Christie. You see years ago, my friend Christie wanted to go crabbing. Someone had advised her to use chicken. Now most people would take the cheapest raw chicken legs , put them in the crab net, and chuck it into the water. Problem is, Christie didn't know that at the time.

So , having been told to use chicken, Christie went home and got busy in the kitchen. She took an entire whole chicken, lovingly glazed it with honey, and slow roasted it for a couple of hours. When it came out the oven , she jumped into the car, and headed for the docks.

Imagine the looks from the fishermen and seasoned crabbers as Christie proudly walked past carrying a steaming hot bird. It must have smelled so good. Heads turned as she went by , catching the aromas of that glazed chicken.

Then, she took the whole thing, used it to bait the crab net, and tossed it over. The collective gasp of the onlookers must have caught her attention.

Eventually another crabber informed her of the 'raw chicken' method. Embarrassed, she pressed on.

And who had the last laugh that day? Yup, Christie. Lord knows why but she took home a bucket load of crab that day.

So the legend of the chicken lives on. We can hardly go crabbing without bringing it up every time. Like any good story, it never gets old.

It's about time

It's been a long time since I posted. Mainly I've just been caught up in life's busyness. Lack of inspiration and disgruntlement with my camera have also played a role. But I'm back and ready to let loose with a spate of posts and pictures.

Last week Dante', Max and I went crabbing. We didn't catch anything but a few kelp crabs.(No meat on 'em) Still, we had a great time and took some nice pics.

Winter Blues

Poor February, it has always been my most hated month. (August comes second.) My prejudice comes with good reason. The holidays are over, the cold weather is no longer novel and on the Oregon coast it's all about the rain.

There are no more mushrooms to pick, it's too cold to go fishing and crabbing. Ordering seeds and garden planning for spring brings just a little satisfaction.

And boy, does cold weather up the crazy quotient at my house! Max, in lieu of constructive outdoor time, cruises the upstairs looking for ways to make me scream "knock it off", "put that down!" or "Be quiet".

Every time the UPS truck rounds our corner, Dante' and I are pressed against the living room window like hungry homeless children. When the package turns out to be for the lady across the street, we turn ugly.

Even the dog hates February. Rex is so disgusted with only being allowed outside to pee, he has taken to running away. The next door neighbor keeps a fabulous smorgasbord of cat food on her front porch. Whenever I can't find Rex, he's there.

Only my 16 yr. old, William seems to handle this weather well. He sleeps. When he's not in school, he sleeps.

I'm going to bed. Wake me up when the temp rises above 65.
-EJ