loosey goosey

 The sandhill cranes have been migrating through over the past few weeks, so Todd and I drove down to Goose Pond in Linton, Indiana to see if we could spot any.

It was slow going at first.  Lots of lakes and bogs...

...some slight evidence that birds had been around...

...but no birds, other that those that a local wag had provided.

Finally, we found a little enclave where a group of cranes were congregating.  

Beautiful birds and the perfect weather for exploring!  

Back on the home front, warming weather is bringing out some familiar faces.

Minnows!

My spirea looks dead...

...unless you look closely.

There's enough tiny green for mini bouquets.  These were made with hairy bittercress, vinca, and Persian speedwell.  It's nice to have a little bit of color around the house again!  

Our hyacinths, daffodils, and other spring bulbs haven't produced any flowers yet.  We've had some chilly episodes that are slowing down their progress...but the frogs are singing, green is appearing all over, and I'm sure it won't be long until they pop!  I've been spending as much time outside as possible with Claudia supervising from the shadows.

The kittens, too, are watching...

...when they aren't helping with other activities, like testing out my yoga mat...

...or advising me about a certain lack of attention in the kitchen.

Looking forward to warmer days ahead.  Have a great week!  

be-twix-t a winter and a spring place

 Moderate weather means more outside time!  At first glance, there's not a lot of life out there yet...

...but I'm seeing more signs.

Bean Blossom Bottoms, a 700 acre nature preserve with nearly 3 miles of suspended trails, is only 15 minutes from our house.

Because it's bottom land, and naturally boggy, it's unbearable in the summer:  heat, humidity, and mosquitoes.  Spring, though, is another story.  It's alive with so many frogs, birds, and animals.  The Sycamore Trust, which protects and maintains this and many other properties, set up trail cams and has caught some remarkable things.  I love this short video of a bobcat family!

On our other walks, we're seeing a bit of color...the beautiful purple of bare blackberry bushes...

...and even the greening of moss is a nice harbinger of spring!

A bit of red, too, in the infrequent berries spotted on bare branches of various bushes.

Speaking of red, we recently celebrated Valentine's Day.  I was still feeling unwell, so we had a low-key day at home.  A red velvet recipe that made just four cupcakes was the perfect amount...

...and, for my "gift," I made a punchboard out of plastic cups.  Insert a treat and a terrible pun, cover the opening with crepe paper, and you're magically transported back to your second-grade classroom.

Feeling better means that, besides finally able to get back to work in a meaningful way, I've also been able to work on hobbies.  I hadn't worked on a puzzle in many weeks, but as I slowly improved at the end of January and beginning of February, I got to work on a 2,000 piece puzzle that I absolutely loved.

I also got back into knitting.  I've been working on my Deco cardigan off and on for the past few months, and had nearly finished the body and both sleeves.  I've been woefully unobservant this year, and realized belatedly that I had stitched a child-size sleeve on to the adult-size body...sigh.

Grimly, I ripped the arm back to the shoulder and began again.  I'm nearly halfway through - relief!  I've already picked out my next sweater, and it's one that I've knitted before.  

Shadow sweater, photo courtesy of Brooklyn Tweed:  Wool People

Here it is as a nearly-completed project in 2015:

The problem?  First, I used a silk-blend yarn, and silk has absolutely no stretch.  Neither do cables.  And because I'm a fairly impatient knitter, I didn't bother to knit a gauge swatch.  Most of the time, these swatches are knit in stockinette, or "plain" knitting.  This pattern, however, wanted me to knit a swatch in the cable pattern and then measure it.  I didn't do it and just guessed, and this sweater was WAY too small.  I frogged it last year.

Last week, I broke down and knitted the swatch:

Bingo!  Perfect gauge on size 7 needles, and I also found the perfect yarn.  This is Brooklyn Tweed's Shelter in the Fossil colorway.  Normally it retails for $16/skein, making this a fairly pricey sweater at $128!  I found someone selling it for much cheaper on Ravelry, although it will still be (gulp) $80.  A bitter pill to swallow for someone who still prefers to get clothing from thrift stores...but it's good-quality yarn and I know I'll love wearing this sweater when it's finished.

Skies are increasingly blue here...

...and temperatures are slowly warming.  I'm still feeling well and am cautiously optimistic about continuing this trend.  Looking forward to many adventures as the season progresses!  Even in the garden, which I'm determined to control this year.  I'm talking to YOU, weeds, ticks, and chiggers!

side garden in spring from a year or so ago, pre-weed invasion

Have a great week!

hairy peri

 A couple of weeks ago...snow!

Borga was not too keen to go outside...

...despite the lovely views right outside the front door!

More rabbits!

The weather warmed a bit, but we still had ice.

  

This ice on the back pond reminds me of hives.

Comparison picture from when I was in the emergency room with fire ant bites!

It's warming up lately, and the ice and snow have melted away.  Even with the frost, there are signs of spring!  Daffodils are coming up.

I almost didn't see these subtle changes, because I've been really sick, which is why I've missed a few weeks of posts.  Horrible insomnia, middle-of-the-night panic attacks, skyrocketing anxiety, rashes, and nausea that left me bed-bound many days (so...much...nausea)...all related to extreme perimenopausal hormone fluctuations.  File this under Things You Should Know Before 47 But Have Never, Ever Heard Of, I guess, but my doctor told me that this is completely normal and happens to many women.  Being fairly sick for half of every month for the past two months doesn't feel normal, but hopefully I will get things sorted out soon.  And bonus...my finger-in-the-light-socket anxiety made me so jittery and panicked during my sick weeks that I had to get out of the house, no matter how terrible I felt.  I've taken many, many walks in the past few weeks, in all weather.

It was an absolutely miserable time, but I felt a little better in the cold air, and I did get to see some interesting things that I would've missed otherwise.  

This really cool fungus is Amber Jelly fungus, otherwise known as Brown Witch's Butter.  Witches are notorious for stealing milk from cows at night (according to legend), and this fungus is "formed" from the spilled drops of milk as they hurry away.  Although it doesn't look very appetizing, Amber Jelly fungus is edible, although fairly tasteless, and mainly used to add "texture" or bulk to soups.   

There are lots of beech trees around here, and I've seen this incredibly black mold on many branches.  It's Sooty Black, and it feeds on the honeydew (sugar-rich secretions) of the insects and aphids that frequent this type of tree.  If you see Sooty Black, you've got pests.  

Despite the cold, ferns are starting to peek out of the dead leaves.

I'm going to keep an eye out for more green growth!  Meanwhile, we're continuing to enjoy beautiful skies...

...and sweet cats.

Calliope has been kind of smug about my sickness, because I've been sleeping on the couch for most of the past six weeks (erratic sleep + nausea = must...be...alone) and she loves to sleep with me there.  Here's hoping for a better month this time around...have a great week!