Thoughts and observations from life around the riverrim.... ...including spinning weaving, knitting, gardening, flax, chickens, rabbits, alpaca.............. and whatever wild life wanders by
phenological events March 07
8th Wood Thrushphenological events April 07
2nd first wasp
I have been working on a puppet, from the Spin Off article on Estonian Sheep Puppets (summer 06). He still needs an ear, eyes and a mouth.
I feel a bit like Geppetto. What a demanding little puppet!!!..I've not yet finished making him, and already he is disrespectful...telling me exactly how I must fashion his eyes so that he may see clearly! Why is it that the eyes are the most difficult?
He has also become a cohort of the kitty...nagging me to fill kitty's bowl should it become the least bit empty...and never missing an opportunity to curl up and take a nap.
As this puppet is to be a gift to a newborn, I shudder to think what bad habits it may inflict on the innocence. Still, he is quite entertaining.
But that is OK, because I have this..
...my big red umbrella. I have had my big red umbrella for many years. Jackie T. gave it to us on the day we were married. It has served us well. I think of Jackie T. whenever I open the big red umbrella. He was a very good friend, who didn't walk this earth for as many years as we would have wished. Big Jack. I smile whenever I think of him.
I like to walk in the rain....especially a spring rain.
It smells so fresh. It sounds so gentle. It is a sound that relaxes me. Each rain drop echos under the big red umbrella. I am not aware of how long I stand and watch and listen to the rain under my big red umbrella. Suddenly, I am aware that there is a frog who is singing, I know that he is very close, right next to me, but I cannot find him. "Show yourself", I ask him..."so that I may admire you!" He stops singing. Oh well.
The forsythia and the magnolia are just beginning to open their petals. No wonder the words, "spring" and "sublime" often appear in the same sentence.
This riverrim blog has been nominated for the Thinking Blog Award by Cathy from Catena Expressions. thank you Cathy- I am really happy to receive it, and I appreciate your kind words-and btw..thanks for thinking of me!
As a recipient of this award, I must agree to pass the award to 5 other blogs that make me think. Since I like to think about a myriad of subjects...I picked according to things I like to think about-
I congratulate these bloggers for making me think! Should you choose to participate please include: "The rules are if (and only if) you are nominated for this award, you must pass the Thinking Blogger Award to five others and describe why." You can find the code for the button here
Redback salamander- was under the rotten wood that I was cleaning up near the greenhouse. We see them often around here, and I suppose he was feeding on some of the ant eggs that were also in the rotten wood. I was very careful not to touch him with my hands when I moved him to a new location near the stream bed in the rock wall. He breathes through his skin and the roof of his mouth..he has no lungs
The catkins on the River Birch are blooming...and spring has finally arrived along the riverrim. The evenings have been especially pleasant. The air is mild and filled with the first smell of spring. The sound of spring peepers resonates from the pools where they gather. I have only seen a spring peeper once. It was very small, smaller than a quarter. And it was almost white. For something so small it has a very large voice.
The waxing crescent or fingernail moon is beautiful just after sunset. I watch the evening fall, and notice the tiny buds of the maple. All of the trees are now in bud, holding their summer secrets. And I am reminded of how much I love this time of year.
Breakfast anyone? We can slow down and have a tête-à-tête over some coddled eggs. (did you notice the true tête-à-tête in the vase?... it has a double bloom on a single stem, hence the name.) The egg avalanche of 2007 has started....so far, no broody hens to speak of, so the eggs are free for the taking!
Last week I got to thinking about a question that had been posted to the triloom group concerning the use of the triangle loom for tapestry weaving. I decided to experiment. I was able warp, somewhat, in a vertical fashion...but I did bring the warp thread around two nails on the sides of the loom in order for it to work. I have been wondering if the same would work if I string the warp threads horizontally.
The runoff from the recent storm was still rushing from the mountain tops on the way down to the river. I needed to walk down on the river road to get to the place where I know the marsh marigolds grow. And I found them...but I also found something else that made me think about that word "respect" again.
I had a plastic bag garbage bag in the pocket of my barn jacket, and my garden gloves were still in the back pocket of my jeans, so I picked up the can and put it in the bag. The closer I got to the river road, the more trash I saw...I continue to pick it up. It breaks my heart.
The pools of clean water that the frog lay their eggs in - full of litter
...litter I cannot pick up unless I go back to house and put on my hip waders...I think of all the people who do not respect the land...
or the laws that are in place...or, most importantly, each other. It makes me very sad. It makes me feel helpless..and it even makes me feel angry. But sometimes-- you just have to put on your hip waders to pick up all the garbage that others leave behind. There was enough to fill 3 bags in the little area that I cleaned up. But there will be more...there will always be more...because some of us understand respect...and some of us just don't get it. OK, rant over...we now return you to your regularly scheduled blog....
Even the spiders seek the higher ground when the water rises. Luckily for this one, he was on the catch and release plan, and had an escort to the woodpile early this morning.
I have added a link to my sidebar, at the top, where I can review the river levels.
Look at what a difference a storm makes in the river's mood...
before...
and after...
Even the chickens have had enough. (Does this wet hen look mad?) Normally, they don't mind the spring rains, today, they just stand under the rabbit hutches and wait it out like the rest of us.
The river is expected to crest later this afternoon, thank goodness. If the rain were not so bone chilling, I would venture out to get a closer look. Maybe, tomorrow. Yesterday and today, I have managed to find a few hours to do some spinning at the Great Wheel. I am still working on the Finn/Angora blend. The Black Finnsheep wool is from my friend Grace Hatton. She just finished knitting a beautiful sweater, that you can go take a look at on her blog.
Grace recently wrote a terrific article, dealing with the topic of Organic Fiber, that appears in the current issue of "The Shepherd". She raises some interesting and valid points, concerning the choices that those who raise sheep have to consider. The title of the article is "Organic ...or Humane?" ...and it is quite thought provoking.
While not "organic wool" this Finnsheep fleece has been a real pleasure to work with. My progress is slow because I have started with the raw fleece and have done all the processing by hand. I don't mind the time involved. When I am finished, I will have a product that has been completely hand made. Think of it...touched by human hands, from the shearing, to scouring, to the carding and spinning, and the knitting. That is a lot of handling. How many garments do people own that have been constructed in this fashion? I venture to guess ~ not many....
If you would like to read more about how I prepared what I am spinning, visit the Weekend Whirls
The Latin name is Levisticum officinale, common folk names include Sea Parsley, and Love Root, Italian Parsley, Love Parsley and Love Rod. But who put the love in Lovage? According to my copy of RD Magic and Medicine of Plants, "the name goes back to a Latin word meaning "Ligurian", because the herb flourished in ancient times in Liguria, a region that includes the Italian Riviera". Over time the name has been, shall we say, lost in translation...and somehow became lovache or love parsley. Lovage has a special place of its own in my garden. I look for it to return each spring, larger than it was the year before. ...and I await the celery like aroma that the leaves give off when I brush past it.
Rhubarb is among the other things that are presently up around the riverrim, the list includes but is not limited to:
The internet is a wonderful way to learn. Ten years ago, if I needed to learn how to do an alteration on a knitting pattern, I would have found myself driving to a LYS (not that it would have been a bad thing)...but the internet is a real time saver.
A few weeks back when I started the Boogie Vest pattern, I became aware of the fact that I wanted a different neckline. While google-ing the vest, I came upon a blog that goes by the name of KnittingJones. I really liked the way KnittingJones finished her vest, so I simply emailed her with a few questions on how she altered the pattern for the neckline. She graciously replied with instructions...(twice!...because I didn't quite "get it" the first time.) I was able to finish my Boogie vest (complete with alterations) with the help of another blogger. Thanks Susan!
Blogging has enriched my world! It started for me as a way to record projects and plantings, notations etc. an avenue to store my memory and the bits of knowledge one accumulates. I didn't have a single link on my sidebar when I started. But the list has grown. Other bloggers have enriched my world! I email bloggers, and they email me... with questions, comments etc...as simply as if we were chatting over a fence in the backyard...my daily blogrolls read like a book full of the most interesting people, doing the most interesting thing...when I stop to think about it..it really is a remarkably fun thing.
Finished Boogie vest project notes:
Started beginning of March and finished early April.
Yarn: Handspun Border Leicester Fleece P29 from Betty Levin, purchased MS&W 'O5
Needles: size 10 (one circular and 2 dpnts) cable needle
*would most likely not use the backstitch for the side seams in the future...the mattress stitch would have been a better choice.
Happy Easter...
sometimes, you just have to search in the obvious places, for the most extraordinary thing....
It rained today, and I was a bit "under the weather". I really didn't walk very far at all. It was so chilly. The air was moist, full of fog...
the buds are suspended, held in readiness, for the bloom. Soon they will come into their own...and their trumpets will herald the arrival...
This is Farmer Dave's special blend.It was given to me some time ago, but it has just been sitting around waiting to become something. It is somewhat uninteresting to spin plain white wool, but it gives you lots of time to get up close and personal with the wool, and listen to it tell you what it wants to become. This wool isn't bad. But it isn't the finest fiber either. It has some VM or vegetable matter in it. As I am spinning it, I notice that it isn't especially soft. I won't use it to make anything that will be worn next to the skin.
I think I just heard it tell me that it wants to be woven and not knit with...something about a handbag maybe...and it wants a dye bath, definately wants to take a bath...and it reminds me that I have those Cushing Dyes that I have not had time to use yet.
Yup, sometimes you just have to listen to the wool. For more details on this wool, head over to The Weekend Whirls blog...you can use the link button on my sidebar.
repairs made to the growhouse
it starts with standing at the edge of the plot and staring, with hands on hips, noticing...what the winter has done, what repairs need doing and what decay need to be swept up.
some things you will need
it starts with the decision of when. When to plant. Where to plant. What to plant. And how to plant it.
Thornless Blackberry Bushes Before
It is not so much that the ground is not ready, rather, I am not ready. The garden and I need to ready ourselves together. Get reacquainted...notice the changes we have experienced since last we were together.
Topping, tying and trellising
Just as the bud opens slowly, I ease into the routine. My garden teaches me how to exercise patience. How to appreciate abundance. How to accept loss. How to nurture life, but mostly, it teaches me to look for the beauty in all things.
Compost on the hillside
Sometimes, it is dirty- hard back- breaking work. But it is soooo worth it.
