kmkat and her kneedles

Images of spring.

 

The wood ducks were passing through last weekend.

 

It was difficult to count them because they kept doing this and disappearing under the water.

 

I spotted this today. For a second I thought it was a maze in the woods.

 

Then I figured it out. Those are piped maple trees, and that little wooden
building might be the cook shack. Maple syrup season is probably over this week,
according to the chatter I heard on Tuesday.

Speaking of (the first) Tuesday (in April), spring brings certain local elections --
village and town boards, school referenda, a supreme court justice.
These were three of my fellow election judges.

 

The fifth election judge monitored the single voting machine.
I'm pretty sure that voter is one of the volunteer fireman that pulled Smokey and I 
out of the lake a couple weeks ago. Small towns: you see the same people over and over.

 

She and I occupied ourselves in the same manner during the down times.

 

(no photo)
When I got home that night I heard the loons crying. It made me very happy.

 

 
Today brought the traditional April snowfall.
::sob::

Whew!

When we had to dig up the septic tank last fall I worried about my daffodil bulbs,
which were right in the line of fire, so to speak. Looks like they may have come through ok,
although a bit rearranged.

Things that are making me happy today.*

I discovered that a pair of socks that had never really gone with anything actually coordinates with a recently-acquired shirt.

Fashion-forward is I!

 

The sun is shining!

Funny white shadow is reflection of cell phone in glass. 

 
Not only shiny sun in sky, but actual ground visible along north-facing driveway.
And while taking these photos, I saw a hornet flying around... outside!

The poles that I had Smokey put in last fall actually kept us from driving on the snow-covered garden. Yay!

 

Another pair of double-thick socks.

Raveled here.

That was how much I got done the first day of knitting! Of course, that was the day we drove to Rice Lake (one hour), Smokey had blood drawn (20 minutes), we had lunch and I finished first (5 minutes), Smokey went shopping in a couple stores while I waited in the car (~1 hour), we drove home (1 hour), and we watched TV in the evening (2.5 hours; we watched an extra episode of Criminal Minds on Netflix because I thought I could finish the sock -- almost; went to bed with ~1/2" of ribbing left to do.

I am enjoying double-thick socks immensely -- picking out the stash yarns to combine, knitting them zipzipzip, wearing them. So fast, so warm. I am pretty sure that if I knit enough pairs, and I get enough other people knitting them, these socks can solve world hunger, bring about world peace, and probably explain the theory of everything. (The latter has baffled Stephen Hawking for 45 years. These socks are awesome.)

There is one thing making me kinda sad, though.

Last time I grabbed my camera to take some knitting photos, it wouldn't turn on. Needs new batteries, I thought. Today I put in fresh batteries, and it still won't turn on. Right now it is sitting on the tray table in front of Smokey's chair, which is the place where he works on small projects while watching TV. He says the chances are slim that he can fix it, so I may be in the market for a new camera... which makes me kinda happy.

* Smoke actually commented that I was extra cheerful today. I explained about this post. Now you know it is all true.

No links today due to busy.

But I thought I would share this photo with you. It was taken across the lake from us, exactly one mile away. Not by me, though.

Bear cubs. There are a mama bear and three cubs hanging around the lake this spring.

Spring is springing.

Saturday's walk. The spring peepers were so loud I had to
turn up the volume on the audiobook I was listening to.

 

Springing Sunday.

As usual, first you get the mutterings.

1. Steady :: boyfriend.
2. Sleep :: deprived.
3. Thumb :: and forefinger.
4. Straighten :: up.
5. Wake up! :: NO!
6. Diminish ::  -ing returns.
7. Scarred :: for life.
8. Horn :: of plenty.
9. Pace :: car.
10. Correspondence :: writing.

* * * * *

As you may remember, earlier this week we got a foot (12"! 30cm!) of snow. Today the temp is 70℉ (21℃). Ah, spring in The North. Will we get another dump of snow? I say no. Let's hope I am right. 

photo credit: Bill Gracey via photopin cc

On Friday I saw two wood ducks on the lake. In all my life I don't think I have ever seen one in the wild, although I have seen dozens, if not hundreds, of wood duck houses erected by hopeful bird enthusiasts. They are a beautiful bird, as you can see in the photo. Sadly, this pair seemed to be transiting on their way north, gone the next day.

Beside the wood ducks, there have been Canada geese (many, many) and trumpeter swans (two) (the ones in the photo below may not be trumpeters because Wikipedia informs me that the latter generally swim with a straight neck; a lake neighbor more knowledgeable than I identified the ones on our lake as trumpeters),

photo credit: Peter aka anemoneprojectors - camera busted! via photopin cc

and coots (aka mud hens).

photo credit: TexasEagle via photopin cc 

No loons yet.

* * * * *

Remember the 600 stitches I cast on for the linen stitch scarf, then ripped out because the colors did not have enough contrast? And re-cast on 600 stitches with completely different yarns? I knat and knat upon them for a couple weeks, but last night I screwed up an entire row. The thought of tinking that row set me back a bit; upon further reflection -- and realizing just how long that scarf was going to be, somewhere between nine and eleven feet (2.7 and 3.3 meters), just as a commenter remarked a few posts ago -- I decided the best thing to do would be to frog it and start over again with fewer stitches.

While I was at it, I rewound the three yarns into new cakes. I love doing that. I will rewind center-pull balls/skeins into cakes just because I like them. We takes our fun where we finds it.

Today I re-cast on, 420 stitches this time, and I am halfway through the first row. My knitterly friends have rescheduled our linen stitch scarf tutorial for next Friday. I should have an inch or two of progress to show by then.

Netflix has provided me with some excellent knitting viewing:  The Inexplicable Universe with Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Because the presentation is 95% NDT talking, with very few visuals, it is perfect for knitting. The subject matter so far, astrophysics and cosmology and relativity and quantum physics and string theory, has always fascinated me, even though it is beyond my understanding*. I love this stuff the same way Smokey loves the Sunday morning talking heads shows and the PBS nightly news hour.

* In the words of John von Neumann, "In mathematics** you don't understand things. You just get used to them." So true.***

** And quantum physics.

*** While googling to be sure I had that quotation correct, I found this. (Scroll down to the Foot Shooting Agreement.)

If this is April, I am doing our taxes. And taking iPhone photos.

Yes, like many of you, I am doing our taxes. This is the first time in years I haven't had to extend them because I was way too busy in March and April to do them. Retirement is sweet.

Beverage for these taxing days:

That's coconut flavored sparkling water on the left, lime on the right.
Lime colada (non-alcoholic, because taxes)!

 

And the hat that is my traditional one for doing the taxes (assuming two years in a row counts as tradition).
Note: my eyes actually point in the same direction. Don't know what was going on here.

 

First blooms of spring, observed outside the government center yesterday
when I turned in my final expense report.

 

Not only did they dismember this stuffed draft-blocker, they later ripped open the garbage bag
where Smokey had put all the pieces. Then they repeated this scene, complete with innocent expressions.

Election day.

This is how I have spent the past two days. Over 300 phone calls.
That's a lot of talking for an introvert like me.

 

Today is the spring election day in Wisconsin, when we elect our county boards and school boards and village boards and city councils and judges. 

[digression] Why are judges elected? They should be appointed; same for clerk of court and county clerk, which are elected in November. All those jobs demand a certain kind of expertise and probably shouldn't reflect the candidates personal politics. [/digression]

[digression #2] I cannot decide if it is appropriate or ironic or just plain weird that this year's election day falls on April Fool's Day. [/digression #2]

 

The lake was completely frozen over -- except for the small area kept open all winter by the aeration system --
when I started calling around noon on Sunday. This is how it looked by the end of the afternoon.
Those dark areas are where the surface of the ice had melted. At least I think that is what they are;
I'm not going out there to inspect them. 

I have had lots of help in this campaign.

Even the president lent his support.

 

Snowbanks rule!

Animal tales. We got 'em.

Beautiful sunny 60˚ish day here today. I carried some stuff in from the car and left the front door open for the next load... and forgot about it. 

Several hours later we realized that Lucy The Wonder Dog was nowhere in the house. She had found the magical open door. When she returned she had obviously been wading in the lake.

The upside of the winter fish kill in the lake is the eagles that have been feeding on them since March. 

The downside is a dog reeking of dead fish.

Smokey keeps a can of Febreze next to the bed for just these times. He toweled her down and Febrezed her, and she was once again welcome. On his side of the bed only.

* * * * *

Nice day, open window.

Cats.

Sit, sit, sit. Watch, watch, watch. Sniff, sniff, sniff. 

Omigod, what was that!?!?

Sit, sit, sit. Sniff, sniff, sniff. Watch, watch, watch.
::lather, rinse, repeat::

Sitting in the window makes a cat filthy. Filthy, I tell you! 
::asynchronous licking begins::

Random.

My one comment on the royal wedding: did anyone else but me think that Kate needed a hand-knit cashmere/silk shawl around her shoulders during that open carriage ride? Every other female at the wedding (except that one granddaughter who sat next to Beatrice's unfortunate hat) had on a coat or jacket of some kind, the men were in wool uniforms and suits, and there She was in sheer lace and silk. The poor thing must have been freezing.

* * * * *

Thought(s) for the day:

* * * * *

There is the tiniest hint of spring in the woods. Taken last weekend:

Can you see them? Here, let me help you:

Round-lobed hepaticas, always the first to bloom. They range from white to deep purple and are a welcome sight every year.

Ten on Tuesday, the springtime edition.

The topic for today is ten reasons to be glad it is spring. Although the weather is warming slowly and the snow is melting, spring is not yet on the horizon up here on the Great Frozen Tundra. My daffodils in front of the Minneapolis house have poked up their little shoots... and gotten their tips frozen. So I will have to use my memory and imagination to visualize spring and change the topic slightly

Ten Reasons To Be Glad It's Spring Is Coming.

1. The return of the light. It has been returning gradually since December 21, noticeably since mid-January, and suddenly! when daylight savings kicked in. But long evenings when the light lingers until nearly 10 pm are still a long way off. 
2. No more mittens, scarves, boots, parkas. Actually, that is a bit sad -- must put away the hand-knits until next November.
3. No more icy roads or sidewalks. My feet shot out from under me Friday morning when I walked out to my car and hit a patch of ice on the sidewalk. No more of that.
4. Smells. Damp earth, green growing things, spring flowers... ahhh!
5. Grilling. Nothing tastes better than food cooked on the grill... mmm!
6. Eating on the porch again. The view is lovely.
7. Spring peepers. To Smokey and I this is one of the Big Events Of Spring.
8. The return of the loons to the lake. Another Big Event.
9. Knitting on the deck.
10. Open windows.

A walk in springtime.

Sunday was a gorgeous day here, sunny and warm with a tiny breeze.  I knitted in the porch for the first time this year, even had the window open.

But before that I went for a short walk. Luckily, I had my camera along.

The round-lobed hepatica are in full bloom. Meet my latest wallpaper:

 

These little pretties are the first wildflower to bloom in the spring here, usually before anything else is green on the forest floor. They vary from white through lavender to nearly purple. I saw tons of them yesterday.

I didn't investigate this yellow flower -- it was off the road and up a hill (yay for 6x zoom and cropping!) but it looks to me like a yellow violet.

The odd thing is that the wild yellow violets do not bloom until after the wild purple violets, and those generally bloom in early June. They have barely shown their leaves yet. Further investigation is needed, as much as I dislike walking over rough ground.

Some kind of club moss, I think:

 

Partridge berries and more hepaticas:

 

Partridge berry is a low-growing ground cover whose red berries persist over the winter. They are edible but not palatable to humans (I tested this myself). The hill behind the house used to be covered with mats of partridge berry and club moss, but we lost most of it when we had to put in the new septic tank and drain field. :( 

All of that is a far cry from this, found last January somewhere on a bike forum:

 

That is not my boy but easily could be -- he has the face mask and helmet and headlamp and has biked over that bridge in Minneapolis many times.

I think I prefer the wildflowers of spring...

* * * * *

Perhaps you are curious as to what I was knitting on the porch? It was a potholder to be felted and added to the stash of stuff for sale at the Friends of the Polk County Libraries booth at local festivals this summer.

 

You get the artsy shot because there are all sorts of wonky stitches and ends not fully woven in (you can see one of the ends in the photo). Given that it will be felted I didn't worry about such details.

As you can see this uses the log cabin pattern; after the initial square of 10 garter ridges, work 5 ridges, bind off, pick up stitches along the next edge, rinse and repeat. Simple, eh? I am ashamed to tell you it took me four (4!) tries to get it right. Actually reading the pattern instead of just skimming it made the difference.

Sunny Saturday.

It was sunny and warm here all week. The temperature even climbed into the 60s (15˚C+) a couple times. Given that the average daily high at this time of year is in the 40s (5˚C+), that is AWESOME.

[digression] Definition of awesome: "Something Americans use to describe everything" [/digression]

Friday was cold, windy, and rainy, but today the sun returned and the usual sunny day activities resumed.

 

There is a tiny bit of open water on our side of the lake.

 

And Matthew's new hat is almost done. Just in time for warm weather...

 

Note: He said the one I gave him for Christmas was a tiny bit short -- didn't completely cover his ears. I think I may have overcompensated on this one.