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.

Back to homework

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Our farm share now includes cream cheese and we decided to make cheese blintzes for breakfast. I found a low(er) calorie recipe online at MyRecipes.com. They were a smashing success. I’m pretty proud of the presentation as well.

I finished this lovely Na Craga sweater after we got home from sailing. I knit both sleeves while on the boat. It’s been assembled, blocked and the collar was modified a little bit. Instead of a rolled funnel collar, I made a crew neck. I fear it may be too big. So I will hand deliver it and figure out what alterations need to be made. My gauge was correct but my son wanted it longer and now I could wear it as a dress (and I don’t like showing my knees). It’s also the first time I made a drop shoulder sweater and didn’t really account for the part of the sweater that was part of the sleeve, so the sleeves double as hand warmers for me. We’ll see. At least I know I have the means to alter it and make it smaller if I have to. Much better than having to make it bigger. It took 21(!) skeins of Knitpicks Wool of the Andes.

I’m working on a pair of socks for a Friend’s birthday. I am using the embossed leaves pattern from Favorite socks. I made a pair for myself in the summer of 2008, while at Seguin Lighthouse, and I still wear them at least weekly. They are one of my nicest pairs and I thought the pattern goes really well with this yarn, Melody by Jojoland.

Since the sweater is complete I am ready to tackle a quilt for my daughter. I’m using beautiful batik blues and greens from Hoffman fabrics. It seems one of the good things about batiks are you can’t tell the front from the back. I think this will piece together pretty quickly and may even try to bring the top to her next week so we can pick out a border and backing. I may be too ambitious but it’s supposed to rain and/or snow all next week.

Going Wild in Puerto Rico

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This looked like some sort of fruit pod we noticed while we were taking a leisurely walk to the lighthouse on Culberita except it was moving. On close inspection, it turned out to be a hermit crab in a bright green shell. There were hermit crabs of all sizes around us. They actually made noise, rustling on the forest floor. Tim picked up a large one and let out quite a scream when it nipped him. I think that one was the size of a lobster.

Crazy cacti

A side trip on our way back from the lighthouse revealed these cacti. They were big, beautiful and dangerous.

From our room in the rainforest, we saw this bird and a few friends cavorting outside our window. There was a lot of hubbub and one bird was stripping the strands of palm leaves for building material. Amazingly there were very few insects and we were able to sleep with the door open.

Tree lizard

Slow progress

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In the El Yunque rain forest, everywhere I looked I saw snails. They reminded me of tree leeches in Tasmania but at least they didn’t drop off trees and land on people. They were large snails in flat shells and were on the trees, buildings and in the flowers.

I was lucky enough to catch a hummingbird while I was following the slow progress of a snail in a flower.

Ignore all signs

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At least three times during our trip to Puerto Rico we were told, you will see a sign that says, “Don’t Enter”. Just ignore it. So we did. Very unlike me, because I usually obey all the rules. The first was for Flamenco Beach on Culebra. We were advised not to pick anything up while snorkeling because it could be an unexploded device. No problem. So while I ignored the do not enter sign, I didn’t touch anything.

We wanted to tour the derelict lighthouse on Culebrita. Who knows, we could end up as caretakers. We met a Belgium couple whose paths we crossed a couple of times and one of them explained the lighthouse was well worth seeing. It’s surrounded by barbed wire and a fence that says, “No trespassing” but just ignore it. So we did. I can see why the sign was there. The buildings were in quite a state of disrepair. There were a lot of similarities to American and Australian lighthouses but the outbuildings definitely had a Spanish flair. There were open courtyards with tiled floors, and ornate stonework, which was really quite magnificent. The stairs were missing quite a few pieces and the tower’s cupola had blown off and was lying outside the barbed wire fence. But the light still worked and we could observe it from our anchorage.

I see no evil

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These three guys looked over us at a beautiful anchorage on the island of Culebrita. Notice the one on the right holding his head. We coined them see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. There couldn’t be anything evil on that beautiful island, which even has a working lighthouse. Could be our next gig! The light works, even though it’s toppled over and the buildings are in ruins. Photos to follow.

There were heart rocks afoot.

Then in the rain forest, El Yunque National Park, in southeastern Puerto Rico, we found man eating ferns! It was strange to be in a rain forest and find typical USDA park signs. We felt like we were a world away from the United States. Our road back to the airport however passed the worst of the worst in architecture. Strip mall after strip mall. Walmarts, McDonalds and traffic!

Time to get the island back into this blog

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We traveled south where the skies are blue and the water is warm. We chartered a sailboat, with friends, from the eastern part of Puerto Rico and sailed from there to and around the island of Culebra. A good time was had by all. We had all sorts of weather except snow. We relied on the kindness of strangers on more than one occasion and the universe delivered. I think I saw three rainbows in all.

What you won’t see are the torrential rains that doused us, because I wanted to protect my camera. Since I have no digital images of the storms, I may simply forget all about them. I may also forget the fact that our berth’s porthole leaked and we began the trip with damp sheets and mattresses.

There were some beautiful moments every day. We swam off the boat and I was reminded of how much I enjoy sailing or camping because I am outside from the moment I wake up until I go to sleep.

These colors work in the Caribbean but they would be too bold for home; they don’t meet the Adirondack Park Agency guidelines.

Word play

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Since I would like to write more, I pay attention to grammar and sentence structure although it  may not always show.  The other night, we watched an older movie entitled “Proof”.  This is an Australian movie starring a young Russell Crowe. (I wonder who added it to our Netflix list?)  Original music was provided by Not Drowning Waving. That group’s name really got me thinking and I ended up googling (I am sure this is a verb by now) “I’m not drowning, I’m waving” and
“I’m not waving, I’m drowning”.  Although the same words are used, the difference in meaning is profound.  One is happy, the other sad.  One is cute and the other is desperate.  It’s amazing what a little change in the order of words will do.

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.