The ponds froze up this year during the big freeze of January 2010!  We haven’t seen this in  years.  The gardens took the brute force of the below freezing temperatures that lasted for several days, looking worse for wear (even though we covered and clamped down and lit up with lights to help keep them warm!).  Those that have not survived the big chill will be replaced with a new and different specimen.  This is  our opportunity to  venture out with something new and experiment.  The freeze is a definite bonus for us with bugs in that it depletes the numbers and knocks them back to a more manageable level for  us.  When the ranch goes years without a major freeze, it allows the bugs to multiply and winter over creating more work for us with each succeeding year!….especially for those of us who are mostly organic gardeners!  Looking forward to Spring, the wildflowers at the B&B and excited to see what comes back in  our gardens!