Adirondacks

Last minute projects

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I hesitate to say I’m a procrastinator but it’s true. Deadlines focus me. We head off to Alaska next week and I still have some quilting and weaving projects to complete. My house is never cleaner than before a party or trip.

I finished knitting the cute little sea glass skirt. I may make another for me.

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Next I have to plan my island projects. I may keep it simple and take only wool for a shawl and pair of socks but I’m also thinking of lots of twined mittens and perhaps a sock yarn blanket.

On the home front, I’ve been yearning for an outdoor shower. I had considered threading a hose into a watering can but settled upon this cheaper alternative, all available from my local hardware store. We have hot water at our outdoor faucet and I’ve already tried it. A resounding success.

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After a great trip downstate to hug my kids before I leave, I returned to more super cumulous storm clouds.

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Flooded rivers

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A microburst of rain in the mountains flooded our river and caused it to jump the bank and flood our road. We live on a hill and were never in danger.

My biggest adjustment to living in the mountains (besides sluggishly slow internet) is to understand and respect the dynamic nature of the rivers. They trickle, flow and rage, even when it’s pleasant in the valley. This is very different from coastal living where what you see is what you get.

When I went out to run errands, I noticed the river was high and decided to curtail my activities and head back home.

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Houseguests were headed this way when I heard the road was impassable. I went down to have a look and saw rushing water flowing over the road and filling the field. I started making phone calls: an initial heads up, then hourly updates. I made good use of the extra alone time and kept working on my quilt.

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When the water receded, we waited to see the damage to the road. We got out some shovels and leveled a passable path. Our neighbors improved the job with a tractor and the town finished it off the next day.

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Enough weather

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This is my last weather post for a while.  It should settle into normal spring weather at this point, right? No more snow.  IMG_9044Good old thunderstorms instead.

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We had a slew of visitors, 4 sets, last week!  The first set arrived the day we learned our well had bacteria in it.  Ouch.  I began boiling water and advising guests.  Then the rains came and the rivers rose.

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It was very dramatic at the local gorge.

I found a quiet moment or two to get back to spinning.  The funny thing is, I don’t think I took this photo but there it was, on my camera.  Very nice.  Andre?

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I am spinning a local alpaca fleece from the lock.  I washed it last year or so and now  I just grab a lock, flick it on a brush and spin away.  I have been plying it with some Blue Faced Leicester and may dye it with my lichen stash.  What will it be, what will it be?

The Indigo Bunting woke me yesterday and I managed to get a better photo of it later in the day.  Dawn is about 4:30 here and the birds sing their little hearts out.  Better than an alarm clock but  I wish I could set it a little later.

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Sailing with snowy mountains in the background

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Yesterday, Memorial Day, a dry high pressure finally moved in and we went sailing. The temperature was in the mid 60’s, like a nice fall day where I come from. We donned sweaters and I considered, but did not wear, long johns.

It was lovely; early on Lake Champlain, which rose a foot after the week of rain. Little to no boat traffic and we ate lunch in a quiet, picturesque harbor.

In the distance, there was snow on the mountains in New York and Vermont.

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More spring visitors

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Avian and mammal.  Spring brings feathered friends and family.  All welcome.

Bluebirds found the new house by the cabin and are making a nest. IMG_9017

My sister-in-law and I walked through the grasslands and she spotted a Chestnut sided warbler by the road.  You can just make it out hidden to the left in the brambles.  It’s not the large tan leaf in the upper rightChestnut sided warbler.  IMG_9020She also spotted an Indigo bunting just outside our screened in porch.IMG_9004

The lilacs are in bloom all around us. Their scent is the harbinger of spring.  With nice weather, cool (40f) nights, visitors return to the Adirondacks in heaps.  I love hosting guests during this time of year although there was snow in the forecast for tonight (Memorial Day Weekend)!

So I clean my house before guests arrive.  Tim likes to wait until they leave.  Any thoughts?
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Spring is in the air

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The weather has warmed up – a bit too much – and spring is in the air.  Yesterday, the high temperature  was 85 degrees f and the low was 35 f – a whopping 50 degree spread.  What to wear?  Actually, we don’t even notice the cool nights, except we sleep well, or I do anyway.  We’re outside doing all sorts of projects – Tim is working on his cabin; I’ve been trying to figure out what are weeds and what are not; and the boat is ready to launch.

Trees are blooming and  love is in the air (and in the hills).  I see a heart in the trees.

Love is in the air

 

Our first Humming bird returned, Bluebirds are checking out the boxes (including  the Purple Martin house, which is supposed to be used by Purple Martins) and Eastern Phoebes keep trying to build a nest inside our porch.  It’s complicated when the birds refuse to keep to their own neighborhoods.  Goldfinch are wearing their bright yellow feathers and are so colorful.

Goldfinch feeder

 

It’s so nice outside, I haven’t been doing any quilting or weaving.  I still do laundry though and love to dry clothes outdoors on a windy day.  I may find clothing scattered around the lawn, but they smell nice.

Laundry            One of my favorite pictures is my porch swing in the snow.  Here it is in the spring.

swing and laundry

Time to go enjoy another day.

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I stand corrected

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The other day, I waxed on about Spring’s arrival to the North Country. Not so fast.

Mountain Man proposed a hike to Scarface, a relatively diminutive peak by Adirondack standards, so I said yes. A nice Spring walk. NOT!

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There was an icy “spine” most of the way and I clumped along in snowshoes. It was Spring after-all and i left my micro spikes home. I can only speak of most of the way, because when it became too gnarly by my standards, I turned back and headed away from the hills.
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That’s Spring in the Adirondacks.

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My walk out provided plenty of time to collect a pocketful of lichen, which had fallen off the trees, and to contemplate rocks.

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I may not see dead people but I do see things in rocks.

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