Yeah, we are overdue for a cold winter! 2004 was the last cold winter and it had a low temperature of 2F. There have been colder, but you have to go back probably 15 years or so to get low single digits/around 0F. Did you get a frost yet? I was in Manhattan this past weekend and I saw croton that was still THRIVING as well as many flowering annuals and somewhat tender palms. However, that was before we even had a frost here so Im not sure if those plans will still be thriving now. Either way it looks like the entire NYC area will definitely have a killing freeze very very soon (the forecast looks very cold!!) As far as USDA zones they really are only a guide at best. I think NYC best as a zone 7a. Many winters are above 5F and the average lowest temperature each winter does qualify NYC to be a zone 7b (I think the average LOWEST temperature for NYC for the past 15 years or so is 7 or 8F with JFK around 9F). Still every once in a while you get winters below 5F and even around 0F. Then you have those rare winters that do go below zero and even though it isnt common, it still does happen. Ive seen zone 8a plants come through our winters just fine (according to the plant), but eventually they will be severely damaged, or dead. Zone 7a plants (like many camellias) will be fine even in our coldest winters and I have seen camellias in the area that have survived for over 50 years without being severely damaged. The duration of Cold, lack of sunlight, and high amounts of moisture are all problems our area faces every winter! Good luck! -Alex

Annie - Your gingerbread house sounds terrific! I bet it was so much fun to make it and eat it too! I am sure your daughters remember all those good memories. And if you ever make them again, maybe for your babies's babies please share a picture... I like to make cookies with friends and then we put them in small bags to share with other friends.:) Teresa - What an interesting life you had! A lot like mine, traveling to different places and now I am here for good, I only take vacations now and for short time, don't like to leave my 3 dogs alone for too long.:) We have parties for friends to practice languages, I do all the cooking for a group under 20 but for a group bigger than that we do a potluck. I always tried to include activities for the parties, sometimes we invite a chef and if it is daytime we always include a tour of the garden, even non-gardeners like that because they get to see how some of the food is grown and I usually include the harvest in the dishes that I make. This year I grew an Italian winter squash that were so big that gave us a lot of meals to share with friends. One of the favorite dishes was the lasagna made with sausage and squash. Silvia

Jo, I love that. The girls and I made one every year. Actually, we mostly made gingerbread "hovels". A pound of gingerbread and 3 pounds of frosting, which stood up just long enough for a picture and then we ate it. Shingles were always M&Ms, and those always got eaten first. Maybe Makayla and Bud will want to help me make one this year..... Good luck on the competition, I love that front porch! Annie

Your house is adorable. One year for Christmas, I made the sides and roofs, one house for each small child, and paired them with a big cousin to decorate. It was one of the best activities over the years. The little ones loved the attention from the big guys. Another tradition we started for the cousins was that you had to hug and thank whoever gave you a gift. We had some crazy hugs, especially among the guys. But again, the little ones loved being picked up and swung around.