Prom Night

A new urgent project has been added to the various work of the homestead lately, as Aly prepares to attend the Haines High School prom. In the midst of dirty work like sifting and amending garden soil, planting seeds, felling, hauling, bucking and chopping firewood, and fishing, Michelle and Aly are altering a lovely dress and assembling other details for a young lady’s big night out.

Aly chose the dress in 2009, when her grandmother, my stepmother, took her shopping. Grandma planned to take her to the best shops in town, but Aly talked her into taking her to the thrift shops, where Aly found a handful of elegant dresses for a variety of formal occasions. She wore one to the recent royal wedding charity luncheon, but the best one has been held in reserve for the prom.

Rather than the shorter styles that seem to be fashionable this year, the dress is floor length. At Aly’s request, Michelle hemmed it up a bit to make it easier to walk in. Michelle used the excess fabric to make a pouch purse to carry Aly’s camera and other items.

She’s lovely in the dress—she reminds me of a young Veronica Lake.

Such glamor is incongruous, if not on the homestead, then in Aly’s normal life. It’s been a startling transformation for a girl who feels more comfortable in cargo pants and T-shirts. She’s even painting her fingernails.

As a home schooler, Aly will attend the prom as the guest of the high school principal. She doesn’t have a date, but in a small town like Haines, that’s not a big deal. A lot of kids will attend as part of a couple, but many won’t. The party will be augmented by attendees of the Haines invitational track meet from around Southeast Alaska. One of those is a girl Aly has been friends with since she was a client at Michelle’s childcare center in Juneau. It’s sure to be a really good time.

The work is now complete, and everything’s ready. We’ll hike out today and spend the day in town. We’ll have dinner with friends, with whom Aly will spend the night tonight. Hopefully sometime tomorrow I’ll have a photo of Aly in her dress, and a report of the event.