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November 05, 1992 - A Surprise Visit From Mister Frost6A • The Suffolk Times • November 5, 1992 A Surprise Visit From Mister Frost By Paul Stoutenburgh I watched the weather channel at night to see if the temperature was going to drop and give us a frost. Yes, there would be frost inland but none along the coast where it would only be in the 40s. And so, when I awoke the next morning and looked out over the back pasture I was dumbfounded to see it was coated in white. Our first killing frost had Focus come and caught me off guard. I on Mature should have known better because the conditions for frost were just right. The day before was warm and clear and as the sun set the temperature started to drop rapidly. Then as night moved in under a clear sky the heat of the day that was absorbed in the earth easily dissipat- ed into the unbroken sky above, bringing the temperature down to freezing. This caused the moisture in the air to con- dense on everything it touched and as the freezing mark approached, the con- densed moisture turned to frost, covering the pasture in icy white. If it had been cloudy that night, the overcast would have reflected the escaping heat from the earth back down and kept the frost away. Fairy tales tell us that Jack Frost paints our windows with icy patterns and gives us our first inkling of winter. Who or what it was that covered our back pas- ture surely did a good job. For the tender plants, like my dahlias, it was their doom. All their blooms were dead. Had I known the frost was to hit I would have picked bouquet after bouquet to take the last of the flowers of the season. But no, I was caught off guard. Leaves Freeze, Too What had happened physically to my plants was that the tender water cells that make up the leaves actually froze and as we all know, when water freezes it expands. Therefore, it burst the plant cells in the leaves, which in turn killed the plant. One can hold off a killing frost by covering tender plants but this only works for a short period of time. Sooner or later the temperature will drop so low that nothing can protect them. With my FROST — Whenever the temperature drops to 32 and there is enough mois- ture in the air to condense, we have a frost. Here we see its glitter on a holly leaf. dead dahlias looking oh so sad, we dug the bulbs the next day and stored them for spring. Down south when a killing frost is predicted smudge pots are lit and the heat and smoke, like a cloudy night, hold off the frost. In the meantime weather patterns change and the fruit trees are given a second chance to continue their growth and fruition. Irrigation is also used to some extent, but seeing this has limited coverage it has limited use. Live and learn. If I'd only covered my dahlias with a sheet or something of that sort I'd still be picking those gorgeous blooms for we've had no frost since then. Later that very day I rode up to my son's place where a farmer rents land in back and plants tomatoes. Jack Frost had been there, too. Where once there were Let's book Back 78 Years Ago Nov 14, 1914 Famous Actor Buys Property: Reeve & Bartlett of Greenport have sold 25 acres on Peconic Bay at East Marion, known as the Chauncey Farm, to Mr. William Gillette, the famous playwright and actor, who will improve the property in the spring and make the place his permanent home. Mr. Gillette spends much time hereabouts in his comfortable houseboat, "Aunt Polly," and it is very pleas- ing to our people that he has become a resident. He is spending the winter at the Plaza Hotel in New York. Mrs. Reeves Buys Farm: Mrs. George Reeves has bought the Jerome farm of about 23 acres on the North Road, across the way from Henry Newell Young, and will have a modern dairy farm to supply her with fresh luxuries. Charles Burt will manage it for her. Mrs. Reeves, who has been spending some time at the Hotel Chelsea in New York, is having extensive improvements made in her upper Bay Avenue cottage, known as the "Homan Place," for her own occupancy. 50 Years Ago Nov 5, 1942 Halloween Dance: One of the most successful affairs under the sponsorship of the USO since this organiza- tion started to operate in Greenport last April was held at the rows and rows of staked green tomatoes there were now rows and rows of dead, dark, almost black tomato vines. The tender leaves had completely been destroyed in one fell swoop by that one night's temperature drop. This did not deter me from picking tomatoes, for with their huge bulk they were able to resist the frost's 32- degree temperature. There were still many ripe and green tomatoes hanging on the limp, lifeless vines. I'd pick many, especially the pinkish and green ones, for I had plans for them. Some would go into relish, others would be put on the shelves in the greenhouse where it's cool and they'll ripen slowly. Some I'd keep the light away from com- pletely to hold off ripening. One year I picked them so late that we had tomatoes right into December. Of course, the taste Booth House on Oct. 28 for the Coast Guardsmen stationed in and about this vicinity. Between 80 and 90 enlisted men and officers enjoyed an evening of dancing with 40 Victory Belles, by which name the girls of our local Girls' Service Organization are known. The hall was decorated in orange and black in keeping with the occasion of Halloween. Alarm Bells: In order that all sections of Greenport Village may be notified of a practice alert or an air raid, plans have been made for the ringing of the old fire bell in the municipal building on South Street and of the Baptist Church bell on Main Street. These two bells will be nmg in connection with the blowing of the fire alarm signal day or night whenever a practice alert is held or in the event of an actual air raid. 25 Years Ago Nov. 10, 1967 Causeway Project Canceled: Gov. Rockefeller announced this week the cancellation of the proposed reconstruction of Route 25 in Southold Town. The plan to elevate 1 1/2 miles of Route 25 between East Marion and Orient was abandoned because of resident protest. More than 150 persons, about a fifth of the winter population, protested the $1,000,000 improvement last September, fear- ing that increased traffic resulting from the project would destroy the serenity of the area. isn't anything like a vine - ripened tomato but then they're better than the bought ones. Photographing Frost Some of my best pictures have been taken when photographing early -morn- ing frost whether it was on the barn win- dow or catching the frosty -white fringe around a plant leaf. All let you see into a miniature world that most have missed. Often whole leaves are sprinkled with fine ice crystals and when the sun shines on them they glitter in a kaleidoscope of red, yellow and blue flashes. I'm sure it won't be long before I'll be breaking ice in the cow's water bucket. Ice is one of nature's great wonders. It's one of the building materials of our world. Without it our planet would not be as it is today. Starting with the break- ing down of rock by the simple expan- sion of ice in crevices to the forming of the great glaciers that grind and melt, ice has changed our world dramatically. The miracle of changing water to a solid form has been an active partner in our creation. Our North and South forks are prod- ucts of glacial activity that happened 10,000 to 20,000 years ago. The great Long Island Sound was gouged out as the glaciers moved south, grinding out the bedrock that covered what is now called Connecticut. It stopped here to form the moraines that make up our island. When you look at the results of these great movements of ice, we see the land on the north shore high and rocky. In contrast we see the south shore low and sandy with little or no rocks or stones. The same is true of the beaches. 'Our first killing frost had come and caught me off guard.' The Sound beaches are a mixture of glacial boulders and stones with few, if any, real sandy beaches. The south ocean beach is nothing but sand, some of the finest beach areas to be found any- where in the world. Again much of what we are holds its allegiance to ice. From here on our days will continue to grow shorter as the sun creeps farther south. Days will lose their warmth. Trees and plants and many animals will go into their winter sleep and for a pe- riod it will appear as if all life has stopped. It is but a moment in the an- cient scheme of things of which winter and ice have always had their part to play. Our frost was the true sign of things to come. We'll still have chances for lingering periods of warmth but like covering my tender plants to protect them from the frost, it's only temporary. Sooner or later winter is bound to come. Miniaturists Meet Members of the Eastern Long Island Miniature Artisans will meet at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, at the James - port Community. Center. The group meets on the second Thursday of each month to share and create ideas and skills for the reproduction of scale doll- house models. New members are welcome. Call 722 -3579 for information.