Jack Frost Murdered my Yard

So---I was up this morning at seven. This is actually true.

Our good carpenter Kurt came to put in the new kitchen window (though the window was too small and we returned it. Have to wait at least ten days for a new custom window. We’ll live.)

But what was so amazing—as I was crossing the backyard to go to the garage to get some things, I looked down and the grass was covered with frost.

I have never seen this in Los Angeles. It was so fresh and fun. Yet so odd. I never even considered that something like frost would show up in my yard. With the lemon tree and everything else.

Well, you know how when your fridge gets real cold you can destroy the spinach or the lettuce? The leaves are destroyed and wilted and wet. (I imagine the ice crystals break down the cell walls.) This is what happened to our nasturtiums in the back yard. And our star flowers. And something that I only know as bat plants (the flowers of this plant look like little purple and red bat faces). Most of the murdered plants formed a border in front of bigger, sturdier plants.

But to see all these dead plants from a winter frost in Los Angeles. It was very strange.