Adirondacks

The bluebirds are coming, the bluebirds are coming

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The moving vans are close behind. Word started to spread about it a couple of weeks ago. I waited and waited. Last week I saw the first male check out all our birdhouses, which Tim had cleaned in anticipation of their arrival. They need a house that has already undergone a spring cleaning and don’t like to live too close to other bluebirds. Interesting. They would rather leave near other species than themselves. We should learn a lesson from that. But I digress.

They perched on the various houses and the nearby trees and fences, checking out the neighborhood. One female looked so plump we didn’t think she could get into the house.

I decided to go a little abstract here. Vivid colors and poor resolution. But I like it.

We thought the absence of wires might have been a deterrent but the budding trees sufficed.

I’m betting on this one for the first pair. They spent a lot of time in and on it, which just happens to be right outside Tim’s office window.

Before they left, they were seen discussing all the possibilities.

A study in blues and greys

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Blue jays and a female hairy woodpecker ate like birds at our feeders today. The blue jays are especially crafty. One pecks from above and makes a mess while another cleans up below. A pair of chickadees were flitting around and we only saw the tail end of a new arrival with a white belly and long tail. ID to follow if we ever see its head. It was hidden behind one of the feeders and ate for about 5 minutes. Even though we awoke to snow this morning, spring is definitely in the air. Just to prove it, we lose an hour of sleep tonight. It was too cloudy last night to see the Aurora Borealis but maybe today? I’m forever hopeful.

Below is a recent weaving disaster. I had problems when I “dressed” the loom. So bad and the weaving was so unpleasant that I employed a desperate measure. Rather than waiting to weave the whole mess off the loom, I “undressed” it. What would have been four placemats became a mat for under one of the cat bowls.

In better progress is the Na Craga sweater for my son. He asked me to lengthen it so I frogged back the neck and shoulder decreases and lengthened the front and back. Now the front will become the back because there is a minor flaw in what would have been the front. I’m sure only I will see it, but it’s all I will see. Not even a flaw, just one stitch which looks looser and may block out. But just in case.

I am acclimated to the North Country

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I noticed it today when I was working on the hot tub. We were having all sorts of problems with a leaking light and I was outside in light pants (ok, really my pajamas), a sweater and bare feet in my crocs. It was 36 degrees F at the time. In days past, I would have had a hat, scarf, gloves, wool socks, perhaps long johns and a coat. I used to marvel when a saw people dressed this way in cold weather. And I’m no longer cold at night. There were many nights when I wore those same “light pants”, sweater hat and a shawl to bed. Very attractive. My biological thermostat has reset. Maybe it’s due to the Adirondacks. Or maybe not.

The big picture

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Loki spends a lot of time sitting on the windowsills and basking in the sun.  He is actually not all that interested in the birds at the feeder and in fact the crows and blue jays scare him away.  We’ve had some lovely snow and the birds spend a lot of time at the feeders.  I heard robins this morning and a woodpecker tapping a tree across the road.  We seem to be feeding all the wildlife.  I saw deer tracks around the tree and only hope they are eating from the feeder’s spill and not the tree itself!

Goldfinch on the sunflower feeder

 

 

There must be something good in the feeders because the birds leave the most colorful eggs.  This batch has been sent south in search of the Easter Bunny. I believe in spring, fertility and rebirth but never understood why a bunny delivered eggs.  Why don’t we have an Easter Chicken?

Wet rope keeps feet dry

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weaving

I am intrigued by rag rugs, braided wool rugs and more recently rope rugs.  The Mountaineer, a local backcountry outfitter, has several coiled rope rugs, which are simply duct taped together, in their store.  The first few turns are glued and then the balance are held together with duct tape.  Way cool.  The bright colors of climbing ropes really stand out this way.  After a rope is used fairly briefly, it looses its strength and can’t be used for climbing so they use old ropes for these rugs.  I have to figure out how to become the final resting place for old rope.
weaving

In the meantime, there was devastating flooding in the Adirondacks after Hurricane Irene last August.  This dampened the inventory of a local hardware store which happens to carry climbing rope.  It could no longer be sold as climbing rope and I bought it with the intent of taping up a rug. Then I thought it might be fun to weave a rug with it.  While the end product is fun, the weaving itself was challenging because I basically had to pass a coil of rope through the weaving shed (that little space between the upper and lower threads) about 50 times.  But in no time I had a rug, which has been claimed by my son and will be heading south today to keep his feet dry.

There’s a party going on

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Or so it seems at our compost pile. I have somehow manage to dodge the trek to the compost pile since mid- December; I couldn’t carry the bin with crutches, the ground was icy, the driveway was icy. These excuses don’t work anymore and I ventured off yesterday after 6 inches of new snow fell. To my surprise, there’s been a a party out there. All sorts of tracks lead in from the woods and encircle the compost bin. I saw deer tracks, maybe rabbit, coyote and mice. But what are these claw like marks? They are linear in groups of four. Coyote scratches? I don’t see tracks associated with them, only claw marks. I’m thinking Adirondack bear paw, one of my favorite flavors from Stewart’s. But shouldn’t they still be sleeping?

party tracks

So we had our own little party. My son and BGFF are visiting and had the makings of a key lime pie. We debated whipped cream or meringue and as you can see, meringue won. It was a joint effort and delicious outcome. Today’s baking project is spinach pie and we may head out to tap some maple sugar trees.

Lady of the river

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Lady of the river

Today was a snow day. I remembered to take my camera with me on a drive to Lake Placid. It snowed softly in the morning, continued all day into the night. There will be an early easter egg hunt, in the snow, at our house this weekend. Tradition.

These pignoli cookies always look so promising. Alas, in the end I threw out the batch. I’ve been having a problem with them rising and haven’t had suggested parchment paper in the house for a long time. This batch rose fine but got stuck to the foil. Worse yet, some had a little piece of foil still stuck to them and left a metallic taste in my mouth. Out they went.

Piecing a life

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The past week has been filled with personal growth.  Hopefully not literally (although maybe literally) but it has been a good week. My leg is getting stronger with physical therapy and I am almost walking normally. Still not dancing the tango. I attended a writing workshop and spent a lot of time reflecting on where I live, the people I know and how much I love it. Then to top it off, this morning, I attended a quilting class and by this afternoon, my quilt was pinned to batting and backing and ready for the next step. Six blocks with 3 seams per block. I bought precut fabric, which was a splurge, and didn’t have to cut anything! Pretty amazing even though I always end up with a few wonky seams. I am planning to give it away as a baby gift. Tomorrow night I learn new methods in machine quilting and will work on this quilt. All the pieces are coming together.