Before the Freeze

These pictures were taken last Friday before winter arrived. It has since turned very cold - our "normal" weather is finally here. I've been reading about the mid-west and south-west with snow and ice, and a friend in Los Angeles wrote about the freezing temps and not having heat in her house! By that, I mean there is no system for heating her house to begin with, not that the power is out. Then there were the 118 mph winds across Europe... a very strange January indeed.
The buds in the picture are from an ornamental cherry tree. Tiny leaves are formed and WERE ready to unfurl. The freezing weather will tuck the tree back into hibernation, and it will re-bud in the spring. I took a walk around to see what else was going on. The rosemary was also getting ready to bloom, and I have no idea what will happen with that. There was lots of plantain and dandelion out there, and as you can see, the lawn has not turned brown yet. It is now covered with a very thin layer of snow.
Miss Molly turned 16 the other day. I can't believe it. I was secretly hoping that she wouldn't be itching to get her driver's license, but no... that is on her to-do list.
What a fast 16 years that was! She no longer thinks I know everything. In fact, I barely know anything! Thank goodness she's patient with me in my dodderage.
She's still a kid enough to be tickled with penguins on the cake, and she scooped up the candles as a keepsake. As a salute to her "herbal heritage" she requested pasta with pesto for her birthday dinner. I snuck some of the chickweed into the pesto because I just couldn't resist all of that lush growth outside. Lots of basil and garlic, with just a handful of chickweed. The adults were suspicious, but cousin Rob liked it. He even asked for instructions so he could make it himself.