Attention Californians and Arizonans, Jane's arctic express is hitting us also. In my No. Calif. valley it hit 24F last night and 20F tonight. This will be the coldest since 1998 when we had an arctic express with temp. down to 18F. It lasted 4 days and was devastating to So. African geophytes. Stan Farwig and Vic Girard had the largest private amateur plant lover collection of special So. African geophytes in the U.S. collected over a 20 year span. Their collection was decimated. It never recovered and frankly, neither did Stan. I outlined my freeze protection system in the latest pbs magazine and enhance protection with a tarp in the livingroom for the large pots of susceptibles. Outside, large outdoor holiday light strings are attached to hoops covered with double frost cloth and old blankets froom Goodwill. It's a nuisance and the blankets are a pain if they get wet, but it is worth it. Tonight the plants are warm, relatively toasty, and smiling. Jane, I hope and suspect that you will come out better than Stan. Bob Werra