It wasn't my imagination, the weather stats bear it out, this year was weird. It was the second wettest year in Chicago history (at least since record keeping started in the late 19th Century). But the precipitation seemed to come in several large blasts: the February snowstorm that boasted the most snowfall in one day (13.6''), contributing to the season ranking third for most snowfall, the flooding rains of summer (count 'em, all three), with the heaviest single-day rainfall on record of 6.86" on July 23, gusts up to 90 m.p.h. in June, and the freak severe storm that left us without power for nearly a week in July.
Then there was the blast furnace of July, with five consecutive days in the 90sF, concluding with 99-degree highs on the 20th and 21st, making this July the third hottest. As a grand finale, we had a warm fall and start to winter. And that's just the weather.
In the garden, more poppy seeds than ever germinated, but many got tracked to other parts of the garden, including one that ended up in the Nanoprairie.
That will not happen next year; I'm sowing all the seeds into containers. They also were not what I expected, lavender singles rather than double black, not that I'm complaining...
Then there was that wacky Colchicum 'Zephyr' 'Poseidon' that decided to bloom in spring
and again in fall.
Well, I'm out of time, so I'll just wish everyone a Happy New Year.