• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Speaking
    • Upcoming Speaking Engagements
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Channeling The Beverly Hillbillies

November 21, 2009 By Carol Michel 18 Comments

I’m channeling The Beverly Hillbillies as I clean out the pots on the patio and stow them all under a tarp along with anything else that shouldn’t be left out in the snow.

My big pile of stuff reminds me of Jed Clampett’s truck all loaded up with all they owned, ready to head out to “Californy”.

Only my pile isn’t all that I own, it’s just the stuff that I don’t like to drag around to the garage to store for the winter. I like to save my back and strength by storing it all as close as I can to where I use it in the summer time.

And I’m not going to a place called “Californy”, I’m heading to a place called “Winter”.

Wouldn’t all you southern gardeners and southern Californy gardeners secretly like to spend a few months in this place called Winter, where the garden doesn’t demand daily attention? Aren’t you just a bit envious of the free time we have in Winter that gives us the opportunity to actually read gardening books, plan for next year’s garden, and enjoy growing plants indoors without feeling like there is something we should be doing out in the garden?

Well, keep dreaming, Winter is all that and more! Only we won’t tell you the “more” part because it involves ice, sleet, snow, wind, and cold, which can be taken out of context and sound absolutely miserable.

Just think of us northern gardeners as The Beverly Hillbillies of gardening, loading up the truck and moving to Winter, a place you want to be!

And now… you may want to skip this part…

Come listen to a story about a gardener like me,
A gardener who happens to be in good ol’ 5b,
Now one day I’m gardening and I see a bit of frost
And then the plants succumbed and I was lost.

Cold that is, wintertime, Indiana snow.

Well the first thing you know I’m running around
Pulling all the annuals up out of the ground
They said the indoors is the place I oughta be
So I loaded up the patio and moved some plants indoors.

Sunroom, that is.
Blooming plants, forced bulbs.

The Wintertime Gardeners!

(Don’t say I didn’t warn you to skip that part).

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: humor, winter

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cindy, MCOK says

    November 21, 2009 at 4:30 pm

    This Southern gardener does dream on occasion of escaping to Winter for at least a few weeks out of the year. The "all that" sounds delightful but then I stop and consider "and more". That's when I run joyfully out into my garden, clad in a t-shirt and my very lightweight long pants, to plant something just because I can!

    Reply
  2. Mr. McGregor's Daughter says

    November 21, 2009 at 4:41 pm

    LOL! When can we expect the video of you singing your version?

    Reply
  3. Sheila says

    November 21, 2009 at 4:56 pm

    Taking a break from gardening does sounds tempting, but I complain about the cold weather here and it's only 55 degrees! We all aren't cut out for the cold.

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    November 21, 2009 at 4:59 pm

    That was a real corn dog moment but for this southern girl–I loved it.

    Reply
  5. Lisa at Greenbow says

    November 21, 2009 at 6:42 pm

    Yeeeehawwwwwww. I loved it. I can just hear you singing as Annie plays the piano in accompaniment.

    Reply
  6. Carrie says

    November 21, 2009 at 7:53 pm

    Winter is a bad word in my house. Northern Ireland isn't exactly known for it's lovely winters – rain and rain and darkness and wind and rain….

    Reply
  7. Dee/reddirtramblings says

    November 21, 2009 at 8:00 pm

    Now, that was funny! Yeah, I bet those southern CA gardeners are just lining up to spend a few winter months in 5b. I know this 7a gardener is, but of course, you have to come spend high summer with me.~~Dee

    Reply
  8. Robin's Nesting Place says

    November 21, 2009 at 8:03 pm

    That is funny, Lisa, I thought about Annie and Carol performing together too!

    I wish I could skip the little trip to winter.

    Reply
  9. Unknown says

    November 21, 2009 at 8:23 pm

    Too cute, Carol. I hide all my pots behind the garage – I think only 1 set of neighbours can see them. Right now I'm getting giggles from all the mixed seasons – poinsettas and pumpkins alongside each other. Christmas lights and cornucopia on the same doorstep. My rule is no Christmas until American Thanksgiving is over (we Canadians have long since celebrated our harvest). Have a good weekend.

    Reply
  10. Robin Ripley says

    November 21, 2009 at 8:29 pm

    I think MMD's right. A video of you singing the song would have been much better–and made my day. Next post?

    Robin

    Reply
  11. Sweet Home and Garden Carolina says

    November 21, 2009 at 9:30 pm

    You been drinking some of Granny Clampett's 'medicine' again, Carol?

    With those tall tales about how nice winter is here , I swear I think you must've been Southern in your former life.

    You may know that Southerners and cold winters don't mix. Just one little bitty snowfall and everything grinds to a halt.

    You did notice that Jed Clampett moved to an even warmer climate than he came from:-)

    Reply
  12. Nell Jean says

    November 21, 2009 at 10:05 pm

    I've spent time in Winter, where ice does things to the electric lines and one must cook on the fireplace and shiver.

    We do have a bit of cold, later on, but it isn't immobilizing.

    Reply
  13. compost in my shoe says

    November 22, 2009 at 1:57 am

    Deeeeeliiiightful! Enjoyed singing the tune as I read your words. Totally fun.

    Reply
  14. Chloe m says

    November 22, 2009 at 3:33 am

    Very entertaining! I am now going to have that song stuck in my brain for awhile., Thanks 🙂
    Rosey

    Reply
  15. Rose says

    November 22, 2009 at 4:11 am

    Yes, yes, I want to see the video of you singing it, too! And if you've persuaded any of those Southern or Californy gardeners to come move to our zone 5, please e-mail me their names. I have a piece of swampland I'd like to sell off.

    Reply
  16. Unknown says

    November 22, 2009 at 10:06 pm

    Carol, I <3 you for this post. At the same time as I'm laughing, I'm enjoying the truth in it. I do appreciate the timeout from the garden, if only because it gives me a chance to catch up with other things, such as reading the blogs of my gardening 'friends' around the world. But now I got that song stuck in my head…

    Reply
  17. EAL says

    November 23, 2009 at 2:26 am

    I cannot imagine how I would handle gardening outside all year around! OMG! It's unthinkable. The only thing is that I do get just a bit impatient in April.

    Reply
  18. Annie in Austin says

    November 23, 2009 at 5:46 am

    I've whined fairly often about getting tired of the year-round demands of the garden, Carol – but 10 years here have made me too used to warm weather. Real winter might make me feel as old as Granny Clampett.

    As to Musical Duets, Philo & I recently rewatched the 20-year old Weird Al Yankovic movie UHF with the Beverly Hillbillies words sung to "MONEY FOR NOTHING". Let's copy Al and use your words to Mark Knopfler's music. Just one thing – you gotta let me be Sting.

    Annie at the Transplantable Rose

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,048)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT