Frozen Tropicals

Will these palm trees survive the harsh Whimsy winter?

Written 10 December, 2008

Frozen Tropicals

In the mild Atlanta weather, the impatiens in my RL window boxes usually survive until Christmas—but this year the weather has been uncharacteristically cold and they were dead by mid-November.

Did you know frozen impatiens look like overcooked asparagus?

It was the thought of those impatiens that sent me into panic mode after the snow on Whimsy.

Immediately, I got in touch with Lilith Heart.

“What can I do? What can I do? I’m afraid I’m going to lose all of your beautiful palm trees to the cold! Do I need to put tires on the beach and pour kerosene over them and set them ablaze? Should I wrap them in ugly freebie prim butt skirts? Should I take them into inventory?” (Due to all the fireplaces and campfires stored in the Landscaping folder, my inventory stays relatively warm. But it’s dark in there. Palm trees need the sun).

Lilith assured me her tropicals were guaranteed against damage from low virtual temperatures. “Don’t worry,” she told me. “They’re safe even in Zone 7. Just beware of the dreaded prim blight.”

Next, I started worrying about the rideable Whimsy seals. Ordinarily, they break the surface occasionally on their rounds. I lowered them a meter or so because their patrol area is now covered with ice. But how will they breathe?

“Don’t worry,” they told me. “We’re fine. We’re down here eating your one-prim flat fish. When we need to breathe, we’ll break through the ice.”

Harry the humpback backed them up. “Even if the ice gets thick, I can get through,” she told me. “The seals will be fine.”

And yes, Harry is still pregnant. What’s the gestation period for whales, anyway? It’s been nearly two years.

But my worst fear of all turned out to be true.

The slopes of the volcano Pele are now an avalanche zone.