Midwinter

This weekend is Troy High School's Midwinter dance. While it is a formal, the tradition is that is it sort of a Sadie Hawkin's dance...the girl's ask the guy to go with them.

My daughter said that they all try to do it creatively. Here's how she asked the original guy. She baked little cupcakes and frosted them with her trademark home-made chocolate frosting. She picked out the sugar decorations to spell out "Midwinter?" She handed the plate to the guy in order to ask him.

We purchased a deeply discounted formal last year in her favorite color. The only problem was that although it was marked a size 7 (and she is a 6), it is more like a 10. I have had to take it in 2" on the sides and 1 1/2" off the strap length. I'll also have to shorten it. The issue is that it is fully lined. I've been ripping and re-sewing and struggling. The correct thing to do would be to take the whole thing apart, take in the side seams and cut the underarms deeper and then put a new zipper in it as I am sure it wouldn't survive it. Only I really don't want to do this. So...I just decided to take the coward's way out and I just basted it...right through the lining. She'll never wear it again, and at this point since I only have $30 into it, that's how I'm going to do it.

It's hard to believe it is really almost midwinter, but the thermometer tells us it is. It has been in the teens during the daytime. This is still last weekend at the Franklin Park conservatory. I don't think this is actually a Chilhuly, but merely a garden ornment. I might be wrong. It is in the little area which is usually filled with plant material in the summer time. You can't get in there at the moment as all the doors are shut.



This snow covered ball, however, is a Chilhuly.

















When we woke up this morning, the world was covered in hoar frost. It was gorgeous. Our neighbor called at 8:00 to make sure we were up and had taken notice.

Even though it was 10 degrees, while Carlos went to church, I went outside and started taking photographs. I must say that the camera began to balk a little.

This is my neighbor's blue spruce which now has frosting.



I thought my sedums had a really cool look. I look around at my yard with all the plants other folks quickly cut down in the fall, but I leave up for winter interest and am satisfied that although I'll have a ton of work to do in the spring, indeed as soon as it warms enough that I can do some of it, I still have the better part of interesting things to look at.