Weather: Staring down the cold

An article in the St. Petersburg Times reminds us of the farmers concerns for the crops we depend on.
"The potential for frost puts farmers on the defensive. They stand sentinel at night, waiting to do battle for their crops."
Work and worry go into the growing and harvesting of tomatoes, strawberries, citrus
and other crops when the sunshine state has temperatures down to freezing. As a former resident of Florida, I recall the
evenings when we raced around to cover the tender tropical plants in the landscape and carried all of my hanging plants,
mostly orchids, into the garage. We sometimes forget that farmers are in danger of losing their crops and thus their
income when frost comes calling. It is cold in the southeast and most of us tend to stay in where it is warm or at least hurry to
get any outside chores done quickly. I hope that the temperatures will warm up, at least for the Florida farmers.