The New Year in the Ferndale valley where I live in northern California was an exciting one. We have been experiencing a series of very severe storms in California, and the Eel River and most of the valley flooded during these storms, with Humboldt County declaring a state of emergency. Susan Hayek has some very dramatic photographs of the flooding, since she lives on the hill looking down on the valley, well out of the way of the floods, but fully exposed to the gale force winds that accompanied the storms. The village of Ferndale was completely cut off from the outside world, and we were without electricity for two days. The flooding on my property was not severe, although the surrounding roads were mostly impassable. We experienced winds up to 86mph, which caused quite a lot of damage to my roof and the few trees I have been planting on the windswept plain. My computer was on (by mistake - I had left it on when I went outside to secure things) when a big gust hit, and I have just spent several hours trying to get it to work, when by some magic it seems to have sorted itself out. The house I live in is all electric, but fortunately I also have the house next door that has a wood stove, so my pets and I moved next door, otherwise we would have had no heat for two days. The horses had been evacuated several days before. So here are the things I am giving thanks for this New Year: My new Agratech greenhouses, which weathered the storm just fine. The city of Ferndale who made me (with much complaining on my part) have them engineered to 100mph winds - they were right! My friend Susan Hayek, who has documented this winter drama photographically, and who came over and rescued my food in the freezer (not much of that, since I am single!) Having a wood stove and firewood. My pets who snuggled and kept me warm. The computer genie that decided I had suffered enough, and fixed my computer. And all those wonderful bulbs, still safe and secure in the greenhouses. This was a close call - I almost lost my business. Diana Telos Rare Bulbs