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A North Carolina Garden Blog

Pax Passes

2/13/2014

40 Comments

 
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At some point in my schooling - I forget exactly when - I had to memorize Pippa Passes, by Robert Browning. Or more precisely, I had to memorize the most famous section of the poem. The chances are, you did too. 

"The year's in the spring, The day's at the morn, Morning's at seven, The hillside's dew-pearled. The lark's on the wing, The snail's on the thorn, God's in His heaven, All's right with the world!"

Today, with apologies to Robert Browning, I present Pax Passes - Pax, of course, being the name bestowed upon our latest winter storm by the great minds at the Weather Channel. 
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My dogwood is icy,
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My Edgeworthia's frost-bit.
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My hollies are twerking, 
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The acuba leaf's curled.
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My banana shrub's dicey,
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The pine trees have split.
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The power's still working - 
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All's right with the world!
40 Comments
Laurrie link
2/13/2014 07:02:10 am

Well, you passed Pax on to us up north. It has been snowing heavily all day and entire structures in my garden are simply not visible -- not just snow-covered but snow-buried and obliterated. I am glad all is right in your world -- we have power too, and food and don't have to drive anywhere, so all's right in the north world too.

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Galloping Horse Garden link
2/13/2014 09:02:58 am

When you have heat and lights, you have it all.

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Indie link
2/13/2014 07:09:17 am

Ha, love it! I couldn't believe how much you guys got! I think that you guys got more snow than I ever saw living down there!

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Galloping Horse Garden link
2/13/2014 09:04:13 am

Don't worry - it's already melting. And in wasn't that much, really. As usual, it was the ice that caused all the problems.

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Casa Mariposa link
2/13/2014 07:16:03 am

Pax has decided northern VA is a comfy spot and won't leave. We have a foot of snow and more on the way. The dogs are sleeping out the storm and I'm off school today and tomorrow. :) Do you think the banana shrub will make it? BTW- I grew up in CA in the 80's and never memorized that poem. But "No bathing suits' was part of our dress code, if that counts for anything.

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Galloping Horse Garden link
2/13/2014 09:06:54 am

Oh good! Because we're heading up to DC this weekend for a wedding. I was starting to miss Pax, but now I don't have to. As for your childhood school, it sounds quite strict. "No bathing suits"? The nerve.

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Casa Mariposa link
2/13/2014 03:42:57 pm

Since you're headed up our way,keep an eye on this website for accurate traffic/road conditions and other general wackiness: www.wtop.com.

Galloping Horse Garden link
2/14/2014 01:42:01 am

Thanks for the tip. We've made the trip many times (relatives in DC) and we always sail along until Northern Virginia. Then we crawl. And crawl. And crawl some more.

Alain link
2/13/2014 08:43:27 am

My that is impressive! You might have a fair bit of damage. All these plants covered with ice. It seems that Pax by-passed us in Ontario. It was a regular winter week, cold but rather sunny. Good luck, I hope you do not lose too many things in the garden.

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Galloping Horse Garden link
2/13/2014 09:08:30 am

I'm hoping too. It's already melting and my sky pencil hollies are now standing up straight. My biggest worry is the Edgeworthia. It's so close to blooming - I'd hate to lose the buds now.

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Margaret Adams
2/13/2014 10:14:54 am

Love it!! Love the photography, love the poem.....well done!!! We have about 20 inches of snow so far up here in Dutchess County, New York and we're expecting the next phase of Pax to start soon. I happen to love it....lucky for me!! Stay safe and warm!!

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Galloping Horse Garden link
2/13/2014 10:37:11 am

Thanks so much, Margaret. I took the pictures myself, since Ron was actually busy earning a living! 20 inches is a lot -you're in the right place if you like snow.

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PlantPostings link
2/13/2014 02:53:20 pm

Ah, that is a nice rendition. Your sitting room does look very cozy. I hope the damage to the garden won't be too bad. Sounds like we'll have some warmer days next week. Yay!

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Galloping Horse Garden link
2/14/2014 01:43:51 am

I'm most concerned about the Edgeworthia, which is my pride and joy. The banana shrub has straightened up by now, along with the hollies, so I'm hoping it will not drop dead on me now. Next week: 60 degrees!

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Linnae link
2/13/2014 05:46:30 pm

Hee hee. Love it!

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Galloping Horse Garden link
2/14/2014 01:45:17 am

Thanks! I've been wanting to do a parody of Pippa Passes for some time, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

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Kathryn link
2/14/2014 12:45:09 am

All is right with the world, indeed. Just add a glass of wine to that sitting room and you have perfection.

I hope your damage isn't too bad, though it looks like you'll have some extra spring clean-up.

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Galloping Horse Garden link
2/14/2014 01:47:46 am

How did you know? We sat there last night sipping wine and thinking, "Life is good." I'll worry about spring clean up next week, when the temperatures are supposed to get to the 60s. Hurray!

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Tatyana@MySecretGarden link
2/14/2014 02:29:56 am

Sarah, I hope the damage will be minimal! We haven't had any ice this winter, but March is still ahead...
Stay warm and safe!

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Galloping Horse Garden link
2/14/2014 03:26:13 am

Thanks, Tatyana. I am cautiously optimistic that it won't be too bad. I am trying very hard to be philosophical about Mother Nature since there is not a thing I can do about her.

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Lee May link
2/14/2014 04:04:47 am

I tell you, those twerking hollies perfectly illustrate the wild and crazy winter.

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Galloping Horse Garden link
2/14/2014 05:28:57 am

It's been wild and crazy, definitely. I'm not sure "twerking" was really the best way to describe my hollies but you'd be amazed at how hard it is to find a word that rhymes with "working."

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Jane scorer link
2/14/2014 07:08:42 am

I love that poem. My mum used to quote the last verse a lot, and I have never known where it was from, so thank you for that ! Oh dear, your pines look very sorry for themselves , is it the weight of the snow which split them or the force of the wind ? We currently have 2 huge trees down, waiting for a man with a chainsaw to log them, but one has fallen right on our beech hedge, and flattened a big section of it!

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Galloping Horse Garden link
2/14/2014 07:24:54 am

My mother also loved this poem. It must be a "mother" thing! I'm not sure what happened with the pine - probably the weight from the ice and snow, rather than wind. There are pines down all over the neighborhood, but then, pines are such weaklings. We could use your man with a chainsaw right about now.

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Jason link
2/14/2014 11:58:32 am

Ha! Great poem. Yes, as long as the power stays on, things don't seem too bad. Also, you got to memorize better poems. All they ever taught us seemed to be "The Highwayman": The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees ,,,

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Galloping Horse Garden link
2/15/2014 12:19:24 am

Jason, I had to look up "The Highwayman" after your comment. It must not have been on the radar of the teachers in the White Plains public school system.

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Anne Himmelfarb
2/15/2014 10:14:46 pm

Sarah, I couldn't agree more. We had the same storm (or a version of it, not sure if it had the same name), and my biggest worry was the power. Of course, in past years living in or near DC was a bit like living in a third world country as far as reliability of the power supply went. But Pepco's recent mad spree to cut any tree that was remotely near a power line seems to have paid off. Or maybe it just never got that icy. The Pepco spokesperson did have the honesty to comment that "Mother Nature cooperated."

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Galloping Horse Garden link
2/16/2014 03:27:26 pm

It is always amazing to me that major cities have such lousy power services.

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Aaron Dalton link
2/16/2014 10:23:58 am

Twerking hollies? Someone notify the FCC, stat!

LOL. :)

I've dreamed about a Banana Magnolia here in Middle TN, but I've figured that it wouldn't be able to stand our winters, at least not in an unsheltered spot. Have you found it to be resilient? I've heard it's only truly reliably hardy in zone 8.

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Galloping Horse Garden link
2/16/2014 03:24:33 pm

I hope the FCC doesn't mind. My banana shrub has been totally hardy here, but this is one of the first winters that has been a real 7b vs. 8a winter. It seems to have bounced back from the storm. It might be worth a try for you, in a sheltered spot. Once it gets big, it should be a little tougher.

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debsgarden link
2/17/2014 09:59:39 am

Ha! Ha! My exact words during our recent ice and snow storm, and the one redeeming factor for all of us, " the power's still working!" It makes a huge difference. Winter clings to us yet, but spring wants to get here; and we are anxiously waiting for it.

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Galloping Horse Garden link
2/17/2014 12:23:02 pm

I'd go even further - it makes ALL the difference. Without it, you're miserable - there's no getting around it. But it's going to be in the 60s this week - hurray!

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Sue link
2/18/2014 05:17:46 am

Yesterday the sun shone. I know, amazing. Because we hadn't had a frost for a week, and I was hallucinating because of all the light hitting my eyeballs, I hauled in all the blankets I'd had drapped over various plants. The weather gods couldn't believe it and immediately threw in another storm-no snow but I am going to have to go out in the wet and cold and redrape in case of killer ice..

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Galloping Horse Garden link
2/18/2014 01:47:31 pm

Good luck! It's been brutal. Maybe I shouldn't be so optimistic that the worst is over. .

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Jennifer
2/21/2014 06:51:21 am

I didn't know the Robert Browning poem at all and love your version of it. The twerking hollies made me laugh out loud! Your poor Edgeworthia! I hope it is okay. I don't have one, but I have read about its scent on numerous blogs. Sadly, I have quite a few branches down like your Pine limb. Stay warm!

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Galloping Horse Garden link
2/22/2014 01:09:22 am

Thanks, Jennifer. I think the worst of the weather is over, but then there was a thunderstorm a few days ago. I've heard that many people down South believe that a winter thunderstorm always means that snow or ice is on the way within two weeks. Sounds bogus to me, but time will tell.

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sweetbay link
2/28/2014 12:13:02 pm

I was SO THRILLED that we kept our power too.

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Galloping Horse Garden link
3/1/2014 01:16:49 am

We take it all for granted, but when it's not there, we realize how utterly dependent we have become on electricity and gas.

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Jen
3/13/2014 08:20:23 am

Love the shot of S curled up!

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Galloping Horse Garden link
3/13/2014 09:31:20 am

Thanks. He's cute, all right. Although I shouldn't brag about my "children."

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    The Galloping Horse Gardener is a native New Yorker who packed it in in 2005 to live under the radar in Cary, North Carolina. In 2014, she removed to a new secure location somewhere in Raleigh.

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  • Blog
  • About
  • Let's Talk about the Weather
  • Tour the Garden
    • March
    • June
    • October
  • Guest Gardens
    • Judy's Garden (White Plains, New York)
    • Elaine's Garden (Columbia County, New York)
    • Mark and Cheryl's daylilies (Cary, North Carolina)
  • Email the author