phenological events Jan 2010

phenological events

January 2010

3rd mergansers on river
5th ice forms on ledges/rim
12th red squirrels in cavity
22nd flock of bluejays
25th melt snow cover
27th blue egg in henhouse
28th owls at night
30th white egg in henhouse

currents

Da Vinci wrote: "mountains are made by the currents of rivers...

...mountains are destroyed by the currents of rivers."

The river is high and fast today.

Making or destroying the mountains that surround me....

Work has begun on a new project. I'm still entertaining ideas. They form gently, fade away, and then return. Decisions and notes need to be made. In the meantime, there is yarn being created.

More Alpaca locks from Allspice ...

...await their turn at the spindle of the Great Wheel.

singularity

The January Thaw is right on schedule. It is a singularity.

Inside of a few days....we went from this:

to this:

A nice respite from the winter. There has been fog. And high muddy water on the river.

By Friday, ole man winter and freezing temperatures will return.

I won a small amount of $ with a lottery ticket that was given to me as a gift. I put it towards a support spindle that I have been wanting to try out. This spindle is handcrafted by Lisa Chan of gripping yarn.com

This beautiful spindle is made from Kingwood and weighs 1 ounce. Lisa tucked a small amount of fiber in the package (Thank you, Lisa!)...making it very easy to sit right down and try my hand at the new spindle. Oh my. Who cares if winter returns to the world outside my door...I'm going to be busy....there is much to learn!

walk with me wed. ice dreams

The ice that formed these valleys and carved these hills is long gone. I imagine how powerful it must have been. Primal ice.

Today, the temperature went up above freezing for the first time this year. But it is January, and there is ice everywhere I look.

The Mergansers don't mind the icy waters at all. The drakes find a sunny place in calm waters to preen their plumage. I love to watch them dive, they stay underwater for what seems like a long time. I try to hold my breath- along with them, but it is difficult!

~stone-cold~

Castor canadensis has been here. The beaver reminds me to build on my dreams, and to work diligently to make them real. I needed this reminder today. Life can sometimes change course and dreams can seem to be out of reach.

I take a handful of chips to study...and to remind myself.

power down

Not very long ago, we had a power outage. It happened early in the evening. Too early to go to bed. It was a good thing I had purchased the new candles, and lamp oil.

With the coal/wood stove keeping us warm and providing hot water for coffee, and the oil lamps providing light...I was pretty cozy. I also fired up my Mp3 player and listened to tunes while knitting. Aside from the light, it was a night like any other.

This photo is for Leigh, I thought of her fireside sock photo.....and took one of my "candleside" sock.

I finished the pair up and got them packed and shipped. Can't find the ticket for the yarn and have forgotten the name..(it is around here somewhere!)...it is a superwash. Can you put superwash in the dryer?

The pattern is an old standby, only I modified the ribbing and instead of a k2 p2, I used a K2 p1.

As I took these photos, it occurred to me that I forgot to take photos of several projects that were completed and shipped out. More is the pity. They are gone and soon to be forgotten!

january sun

Do you see it? I hear it. Where is it? Ah, there it is.

Dryocopus Pileatus....dryo from the latin for tree kopis meaning dagger...and pileatus- capped. Status: threatened due to destruction of old growth forest....

Older and decayed trees are important to them, they do not have to expend as much energy to excavate and locate carpenter ants and beetle larvae, both of which make up the bulk of their diet.

They are large and impressive birds to observe. They are now considered an indicator species, for areas classified as old growth forest.

So, it is two thousand and ten now...(yes I still say two thousand...I know, I am sooo not with it). Old habits are hard to break, new habits are hard to make.

It has been very cold. Single digit temps, the "how low did it go" thermometer is telling the story. I relish the days when the sun shines in the morning. Find a sunny corner with wheel or spindle and soak up the sunshine.

Hard to say which I enjoy more, the warmth or the light. They are one and the same.