Winter White, Black, and Gray

Hello Friends. I took some time this morning to go out and photograph the yard. Seems that Jack Frost spent some time in the garden last night flocking most everything. As most of the nation, we have been very cold here, sub zero and hovering around zero for days. Now as I write, the sun has emerged and probably even at 24 F. the frost will melt away. My weather app shows that wind will begin around noon. I don't enjoy the wind. 

Inside I have kept busy.My main obligation was to finish Lily's Dollhouse. I gave it to her for Christmas, but since it wasn't quite finished she left it here, so I worked hard to get it done and delivered. 

You can see more photos at Ann' Dollhouse Dreams.

It is pretty cute. 

This is the master bedroom. The girls furnished the house as soon as it was delivered. Note that I said 'girls'. All three girls had their hands in arranging the rooms. It was such fun to see them so excited after all of my hard work. Lily's favorite thing? The framed picture of POP the pony on the dresser.

Love the kitchen.

Meanwhile in the Big World--the real world, we have had a very dry winter. We keep hearing the weather women use the dreaded word 'drought.' Not what we want to hear. 

Dry as it is, it is also cold. Cold enough to freeze the KOI pond.

As absorbed as I am working with my miniatures (you can't imagine) I still can't resist day dreaming as the garden catalogs arrive. I have selected my favorite things. I love the patio pots and had good results last year, so I'll plant more this year. 

 These are favorites, especially the hostas. The Head Gardener raised the skirts on the pine trees in what we call the barn circle where I can plant another Hosta garden. Good ideas in the White Flower Farms catalog.

Today's mosaic shows my photo mission this morning: a crystal flocked fence, Froggie wondering when it warm up; the center circle looking frosty and glittery; with red dried crab apples still clinging to the branch.



Not really a harbinger of Spring, this robin has been here all winter with a few of his friends.

I edited some photos to black and white for the post using Noir in iPhoto editor. Black and white seemed suitable, though the the trees and fence are already shades of gray.

We had a pond catestrphy. The HG discovered that the filter and frozen and instead of recycling the water, it over flowed, pumping water out of the pond. It was so heavily iced over that we had no idea. He tried to add some hot water, which cracked the ice and we were shocked to see how thick it was!

All is well. He fixed the problem, added more water and found that my two large Koi were still alive. 

From my bathroom window I can see my dwarf cherry tree and I have wanted to photograph it all winter and make a black and white photo. However the trees in the background spoil the effect that I had in mind.

There's Froggie. We usually drain this little water garden in the front court yard, but it is just as easy to put a heater in it. 

Frosty glass flower

Glittered fence.

Looks cold--and it is.

So cold that even bunnies need bonnets. Lily took Midnight to a rabbit show Saturday. He placed second of two in his class and won first for color of two. Ellie showed her rabbit, too. She was disqualified in one class and I think won a blue ribbon in another class. 

So that's what's going on here at the Garden Spot. What's going on with you? 

Thanks for dropping by. Join me at Mosaic Monday.

Want to see more of my miniatures? Visit Ann's Dollhouse Dreams.