The thing with feathers

Sadly, this nest will never yield any hatchlings - it was abandoned last year. I found it last week when I was cleaning out the birdhouses.  It resonates pretty strongly with me as my house remains empty, but it also makes me think of my favorite Emily Dickinson poem.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers 

That perches in the soul 

And sings the tune without the words 

And never stops, at all 

And sweetest in the Gale is heard 

And sore must be the storm 

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm 

I’ve heard it in the chillest land 

And on the strangest Sea 

Yet - never - in Extremity,

It asked a crumb of me.

Mini Vacation

Sunset on Lake Michigan

Our vacation Up North was wonderful. P was able to recover from a super stressful semester, and bounced back remarkably fast.  The highlights of the trip were:

* Waking up to beautiful Elk Lake every morning! 

* A 32-mile bike ride from Acme to nearly Suttons Bay. (I received sunburn for all my hard work.)

* Sunset at Leland.

* Watching Zeby swim in Elk Lake (way too cold for humans).

* Lunch at North Peak Brewery and Restaurant.

P checking the map on the TART trail at Boardman Lake.

I also went to one of the local yarn stores, Lost Art, and picked up another skein of Classic Elite's Vail. Now I finally have enough yardage to do a colorwork scarf I have been putting together in my head.

Plus, I have started mitered cross seventeen!

A sunnier day

Today is rather grim and grey, despite it being Cinco de Mayo and MSU graduation day.  I have heard that there is a Ukulele festival in Old Town Lansing tonight. Perhaps that will be enticing enough to get me to brave the traffic and the drunk students.

On a sunnier day I took this rather arty photograph of a sunning turtle.

My camera couldn't quite grasp that I was trying to take a picture beyond the undergrowth.

In knitting I am trying to finish up block fourteen for my Mitered Crosses blanket. I also have some crochet edging to do on my Maude pinafore, and then that is wearable. There are a few projects I need to slog through, but that is better left for another time.

Spring Sunshine

Red Admiral

Cabin Fever

After a week of gorgeous 80 degree weather things have turned cold again - 30s in the morning, maybe getting to 50 for the high of the day.  Today was spent cleaning out the yard - or at least the most visible part of it.  I have kind neighbors, and they tell me how great my yard looks.  My next door neighbor promises to throw Virginia Bluebells over the fence into my yard once they go to seed. They don't last long, but I love their light green leaves and cheerful blue flowers.  I have a small, but growing patch of bluebells occupying a spot by the driveway.

Pictures from yesterday's walk in Okemos, Michigan.

Bittersweet

Sunning turtles

Spring walk

Today's walk. It has cooled down to a respectable 60 degrees today, and I only got hot once we crossed the tracks.  It was a snake-y day as you can see. I have been known to pick up baby snakes, but these were much bigger and faster than that, so there was no snake wrangling. Zeby paid almost no attention to them whatsoever.

We explored a new trail, met a dog named Jack and saw Mayapples emerging from the ground.  I should finish a knitting project today, which would be grand since I wanted it done by the end of the month.  Since I am also trying to prepare new classes for the shop, and have a test knit project to do, I really need to clear the board yet again!

Bee Fountain

The honeybees found a thawed plant reservoir. I put the limestone rock on the side to prevent drownings.

Early Spring Thaw

A weekend Up North with some of my favorite Michigan people.  Elk Lake changed colors all day Saturday and Sunday. It was a wonderful creative weekend of like-minds.

Elk Lake, looking East-Northeast. March 2012.

The Long Wait

Spring in Michigan is not for the faint of heart.  Warming spells are inevitably followed by days of raw damp weather and snow.  I have been able to wear my dansko sandals here and there, but they are always accompanied by jeans and a sweater. (This reminds me of my childhood in Connecticut - every Easter dress I ever wore was accompanied by a white turtleneck.)

Knitting has been in spurts and starts - days of crazy knitting jags, followed by days of listlessness and ennui.  Knitting can be a harsh mistress, and at this time of year any little hiccup in forward progress seems to pull me off the rails completely.

As a little exercise in optimism I decided to knit Bunny by Jess Hutch.  Little pieces, following directions closely, paying attention to row-by-row instructions.  Not exactly my normal knitting modus operandi.  I have named him Warren.

Warren is an organic bunny.

Pattern: Bunny by Jess Hutch, a free pattern.

Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Organic worsted cotton, 1/2 skein.

Needles: US 8

Mods: None that I can really think of.  If I were to knit him again I think I would try to make the head and body as a single piece just to cut down on the sewing.  I made up the carrot as I knit it, but I figured he needed something to nom on. His eyes are 10mm safety eyes available at most craft shops.

Warren is living at Woven Art right now surrounded by Bunny Nuggets and the Heartstrings origami Bunny.

And now there are Hyacinths up and blooming, and the first of my daffs are starting to flower.  There may be hope.  But I am still wearing wool socks for now.