Hello From Birmingham, AL

I'm in Birmingham, Alabama at my nephew Michael's Bar Mitzvah. It's been great to see my extended family that has gathered from across the country to celebrate this milestone in a young man's life.

Birmingham is about 750 miles away, and we drove the whole way, with a stop in Knoxville. I must have done this drive a dozen times now since my sister and mom now live in Alabama. But this time, the drive was a lot different.

The unprecedented cold that we had also affected a good portion of the eastern and southern U.S. This was very appearant as I was driving in eastern Tennessee into northeastern Alabama.

I had expected a sea of light green shades along with the wonderful array of colors from the spring flowers. But, it was the brownness that was new to me. The leaves were brown and dead. Sure, there was some green on the trees, but the brown wasvery noticeable. The new growth, was just no match for the massive cold outbreak.

It's one thing when the guys on TV tell you that crops have been damaged and that our summer produce will be more expensive, but when you see it up close, it really brings it home.

We're still dealing with unseasonably cold weather in the mid-Atlantic and it may be a couple more weeks before it's safe to plant.

See you in a few days when I get back!