October Freeze

My three pots of impatiens had overflowed, covering the deck steps. Now they are shriveled stems,weeping and blackened. The culprit? Our first freeze of the season arrived last night. It's a sad time for me, a gardener, because the growing season is over, except for some tiny lettuces that I planted earlier. (They are tiny because they have survived a slug infestation.) We're supposed to get some warm weather after this push of arctic air, so I'll keep the lettuce covered. Hopefully they'll make it. Snow is on the way tonight. Ah, life in Minnesota!