r is for riverrim

 

HIGH or low...

 

 

fast.....

 

 

or slow....

 

 

summer heat

 

 

or ice and snow....

 

 

I work, I watch...

 

 

I write, I spin....

 

 

as time flows by the riverrim.....

 

This week marks the 4th blogiversary of the riverrim.

To help me celebrate, dear reader, I invite you to leave a comment and tell me how you happened to wander by the page, and introduce yourself if you please.  This blog was started as way to keep track of the passing of time and projects, (sometimes of no significance to anyone other than the author)...but I do appreciate your company and comments!  Thanks for stopping by and enjoying the river with me....

a word about webworm

 

Fall webworms are all over the trees this year.  I am noticing them and thinking back to last spring when the tent caterpillars were everywhere. Evidently, it has been a good year for caterpillars.

 

 

I took this picture of the Eastern Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum (Fabricius) in May.  They would come out of the tent several times a day to feed on the tree.  I decided to revisit the tree that they were feeding on to see what kind of damage they had done.  It was not very bad. I left the tent caterpillars alone this spring because I observed a Baltimore oriel coming regularly to the tent to feed on them...but I want to be rid of them for next year, as I don't want them to spread.  In order to make sure they will not be back, you need to kill off the egg mass

 

 

The egg mass was already visible on the tree when I went back to see what kind of damage they had done.  I removed it with my pruning shears.  When winter arrives, I will search surrounding trees for more egg masses which will be easier to see when the leaves are gone.

 

 

The other defoliator that hangs in the trees now is called the Fall Webworm (Hyphantria cunea (Drury).  These caterpillar larvae feed inside the protection of their tent.

 

I remember as a child, watching my father and grandfather light these tents on fire with a kero soaked rag on a stick.  It was fascinating to watch the caterpillars drop to the ground, and I remember thinking  that the tree must have been quite happy to have the ugly nest removed.  I have since read that this can be more detrimental to the tree than the caterpillars...so I decide to use the pruners on these too. 

 

 

I also read somewhere, that one could simply destroy the tent and webworms by depositing the whole mess inside the chicken run for the  hens to devour.  Wonderful idea...only my hens decided that they were not dealing with it.  They shook their heads and walked away from the branch when I offered it.  I decided to cut open the silken web, so they had a clear shot of the caterpillars inside, but still no-go.  Finally, I offered one up on the water melon rind the hens had been cleaning up, and still the worm was rejected.

 

 

hummm...ultimately I threw the nest in the fire pit.

Q is for Quills

Honey, have you seen my quills?

Noooo...not those....

feathered quills for making pens

porcupine quills (or needles)

no...they're not the ones either...hey, didn't we just use that photo for n is for needles?

Now that's what I'm talking about!
"But they look like corn husks", you say....

That's right, I roll my own quills..

september notes 12th - 1st fall warbler 14th - bear sighted 15th - maples dropping leaves 21st - woolly bears 29th - first fire

Tamiasciurus hudsonicus

We have been "enjoying" a red squirrel who has decided to take up residency along the riverrim.

 

Red squirrels are usually solitary, and unsociable.  They can be aggressive, noisy and very territorial to the point where they will not allow other squirrels in their territory.  That is ok with me.  I don't like squirrels.  One is enough.  I am hoping this red squirrel will chase off the flying squirrels that have been hanging around.

 

 

Their main food source includes conifer seed.  In the past few days this red squirrel has stripped our hemlock tree of almost all  of the pine cones, and the ground is littered with the remains, or petals of the pinecones.

 

 

 

I wonder what he will eat next?  When I was reading about them, I was surprised to find out that they sometimes eat insects, mice and RABBITS!

 

 

I finished spinning the first 100 yards of the Angora/Alpaca blend.  I spun it with a long draw, as fast as I could...let the slubs fly....and plied it randomly.  I didn't spend much time spinning for consistency, as I figure -after the yarn blooms, you cannot see the definition of it anyway- so I didn't bother.  The color is like tea with lots and lots of milk...however, it has a luster that I am happy about.  It is also extremely soft and fluffy.

P is for point of twist

That magical apex where the fiber turns into yarn.

It is why I spin.

I could look at it all day. 

It is constantly changing, yet remains the same.

O is for Oak Galls

 

O is for Oak Galls...

 

these are just a few.  My oak tree is shedding them presently.

 

 

I read that you can make an ink dye out of them.  Some even claim to be able to dye with them.  I have not tried that yet.  I find it interesting that a little wasp makes them.  I have never seen the little wasp, except in photographs.

compare and contrast

I was reminiscing about why I started my blog today.  I was reading the first in a nine part series entitled
Garden Blog Pioneers Look Back--and Forward.  It is an interesting discussion going on over at Cold Climate Gardening.  Kathy has thought of a very creative way to celebrate her blogiversary.  You may want to go and check it out.

 

  Then..2005...

 

One of the things I love about blogging is that you can access the archives, and compare and contrast things that were going on from year to year. 

 

  Now...2006

 

While last year provided a bountiful harvest, this year it has not been possible to raise our garden.  Sometimes, life can throw you a curveball that hits you square in the chest, knocking the wind out of you.  We experienced a curveball this past spring, and so, had only just begun to lay plans for another growing season.  Our ideas and plans, like our seeds and seedlings never had a chance to take root.

 

Nature has had it's way in our garden this summer. It has remained untouched since May.  We (wade) walk in from time to time, and take what is offered from some of the early season crops that we had put in before May.  It has been at least 15 years since we skipped a growing season.  It feels so odd.  No fresh corn, no beans, no zinnias to warn me that the season is coming to a close.

 

Our garden this year has it own peculiar beauty...a hodgepodge of weeds and perennials with the occasional volunteer (tomato, sunflower etc.) reminder of gardens past.

 

 

The birds and the chipmunks have enjoyed our respite.  They have become accustomed to our absence, and have the nerve to scold us when we open the gate.

 

I find myself anticipating the first frost...something I always hope will be late...this year I hope will be early.  Let the frost take the garden, ......then we will begin the task of putting it back in order.

snubbing post

 

I visited the snubbing post yesterday.  The ferns lined the towpath that I walked.

 

 

A snubbing post is something that the canal boat ropes were tied to years ago.  Snubbing posts are an artifact, sitting by the river, watching time flow by.  They don't see much action anymore.  But sometimes I like to visit this one and reflect.

 

 

Sometimes, I like to put my fingers into the places where the ropes wore the rock away.  I think about the differences between rock and rope, and how strong the ropes must have been.  I think about the person who made the rope.  I think about the fiber that was used, and wonder where it came from.

 

 

I have started to card and spin up some of Lakota's wool.  Since there is not very much of it, I am blending it with some Alpaca to stretch the quantity.  After finishing up a pound of processed prepared roving, I am enjoying the rhythm of using my hand cards, spin some, card some and so on.  

N is for Needle

 

Recently, words and their meanings have been playing a large part in my life.  Communication is a huge thing.  Using the right words at the right time, or choosing not to use words but rather gestures, a glance, a touch or a picture...

 

 

...there are many techniques for expressing ideas effectively so that a thought or a feeling can be conveyed.

 

 

When it comes time to do my ABC Along, and I have to pick an object to photograph...I start thinking about the object that I have chosen.

 

 

...curiously, that word may bring more than one image to mind....as in needle.

 

 

Those that know me best will know which kind of needle I mean when I say, N is for needle...

transition

The signals are there.

 

The mornings are chilly and misty over the river.

 

The katydid have been singing.

 

The acorns have started to fall.

 

The golden rod is blooming.

 

The maples are showing one or two leaves with color.

 

The light is changing, shadows and color are crisp by noontime.

 

And the bees fall asleep by mid afternoon.

little bit more

This fawn was born earlier this year, and has grown quite a bit...in fact, we have a nickname for her and her mother.  We call the mother "little bit"...and the fawn is "little bit more".  She joined me for coffee this morning...rather briefly.

 

 

Last night around 11pm we had a visit from the bear.  I hear something outside, near the hemlock trees, and by the time I got downstairs and onto the deck with the flashlight, the bear had broken into the rabbit chow.  I grabbed the air horn, yelled at the bear to get out, and blew the horn several times.  He lumbered off. We elected not to go out and clean up after him until daylight when we would have the advantage.  Bummer...now I have to lock everything in the basement, and get out the nail boards to put in front of the rabbit hutches.  One more thing to make chores a bit more time consuming.  I will have to do this now until a hard freeze.  I also have to soak a rag with ammonia to put inside the trash cans.  Hopefully this will discourage the bear from coming back.

 

On the way into town this morning, we passed a mother bear with three cubs.  I was glad that they were not in my backyard!  They were with 100 feet from the house.

rafters drays and hanks

This morning at first light, the hillside was full of a group or rafter of turkeys.

They are hard to photograph because they always appoint a scout to keep watch.  I was getting pretty close until a little red squirrel told on me.

Squirrels are mostly solitary, but if you ever see them in a group you could call them a dray of squirrels.

I finally finished spinning up the Finn/Alpaca blend that I started last spring. Would you call this group of yarn a skein, a lea, or a hank?

a traditional unit of length for yarn, varying with the weight of the fibers in the yarn. Typically a lea of wool is 80 yards (73 meters); a lea of cotton or silk 120 yards (110 meters); and a lea of linen 300 yards (274 meters). For cotton and wool, a lea is equal to 1/7 hank. A lea is sometimes called a skein

a traditional measure of length for yarn. The length of yarn in a hank varies with the market and the material; for example, a hank of cotton yarn traditionally included 840 yards (768 meters) of yarn, while a hank of wool yarn was 560 yards (512 meters). For both cotton and wool, these traditional hanks are equal to 7 leas or to 12 cuts. In the U.S., however, a hank of woolen yarn is generally 1600 yards (1463 meters). In retail trade, a hank is often equal to 6 or 7 skeins of varying size.

Now all that is left is to set the twist and package it up.

arthurs garlic

 

Some days my chores are centered around the weather.  I have been waiting for a good drying day to yank the garlic.  Good drying days are for many things...bed linens...fleece...dye baths...but today it was for the garlic.

 

I planted this garlic last October.  Arthur gave it to me.  Arthur comes by for eggs, and one time he brought me a bouquet of garlic heads and told me how and when to plant them.  He told me that garlic never likes to be planted in the same spot twice.  Arthur did not know the name of this variety of garlic.  I do know that it is a hard neck variety.

 

 

I yanked the garlic on a good drying day because I like to hose my garlic down.  This is contrary to what is recommended, but I found that I have better results if I just hose it off.  Besides, it looks more respectable that way. 

 

 

I let it cure with the stalks on it. I let it dry out of the sun...and then it is put in a large open basket that lets the air circulate around the heads.  I keep it near the porch, so I can bring it in the mud room if it looks like rain....this always brings complaints about the odor..."smells like a deli in here!"

 

 

I noticed that my columbine plants have a leafminer again.

I have never seen what the fly looks like, but here are the winding tracks that the larvae leave behind...I believe they are of the serpentine variety.  I have read that all leafminers have complete metamorphosis....with their entire life cycle completed within 28 days or sooner.  Some leafminers are host specific.

 

 

Anyone know who this little guy could be??  He landed on my hand whilst I was doing another drying day chore.....I'm thinking he may be a yellow midge from the river.  There is still so much to learn about hatches....