Phoebe's Photo Blog

Magic Socks

2012-01-15T08:07:00.001-08:00

I purchased a skein of Zauberball, a multicolored yarn that changes hue throughout the skein. Decided that I wanted to use it to do two socks at a time on one circular needle. This is my first full attempt at doing this although I have done some "practice" baby booties, but not to completion. I figured this yarn didn't need some fancy pattern to make it interesting so it was a good choice for a first attempt. We'll see how it goes!

I divided the skein into two equal balls for easier handling. You can see that they look different and therefore I will have mismatched, though cooridinated, socks.

Felted Slippers

2011-01-02T07:26:00.001-08:00

Felted Slippers
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

My old, much-loved, felted slippers have worn out. The soles are completely shot. I am giving them to Nora who likes to hold the slippers in her front paws and kick them with her back legs. And, no, she is not responsible for the slippers' demise. That was all me.

Anyhow, started some new ones. The Christmas madness got in the way so it took me 10 days to finish them even though they really only take an evening or two to actually knit. But when you are laughing it up with the family, you usually aren't accomplishing any knitting.

So here they are, as pretty as can be. They need to dry which will take a couple of days since they are really wet, but it will be worth the wait.

This is what they looked like before they were felted. Clown shoes. As many of these as I have made, I still think it's funny to see the "before" picture.

Lorna's Laces

2010-12-17T07:26:00.001-08:00

More Handspun
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

I bought some roving by Lorna's Laces from WEBS. The color is bittersweet. I've been spinning it obsessively. This is the first skein. I'm really happy wit how it came out. It's more orange and red than the original roving which seemed to be more purple. I guess this is because are the fibers are opened up and drafted they appear lighter in color.

I have no idea what I'm going to make with this. It's gorgeous and I have 10 ounces. I'll have to see what inspires me.

This Spinning Thing

2010-12-03T20:53:00.001-08:00

This Spinning Thing
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Well, it's true: spinning is addictive. I bought some blue-faced Leicester and silk roving at Rhinebeck and found it was a joy to spin. Since I'm still a rank amateur, the results were a bit irregular. I call it lumpy. Julie, my teacher, calls it "textured." I'm making a scarf from that yarn.

So off I went to the Etsy store of Gale's Art whose roving I had purchased and bought some more. This was without the silk, just BFL and dyed in cotton candy colors. It's also a dream to spin--easy to draft. The color combinations are fun too. I did half a bobbin, and I've started a second bobbin. (For those not in the know, unless you have a giant fly and bobbin, you can only ply two half-bobbins because two half bobbins will fill up a whole bobbin when plied. Giant bobbins are on my list for next year.) I'm not sure what I'm going to make with it. I keep saying fingerless gloves, but who knows. It's going to be even more colorful when it's plied. Perhaps a tad loud? Yarn can never be too loud for me!

Stay tuned.

Little Debbie Handspun

2010-09-23T20:40:00.001-07:00

Little Debbie Handspun
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Here's some of the handspun yarn I have made from Little Debbie's fleece. The wheel in a Bayne's.

This is some of the first spinning I've done and the first on this new wheel. I have to do a bit more and then I'm going to ply it. Not sure what I'm going to do with it afterwards. Perhaps I will do some Kool-Aid dyeing. And maybe I'll make a hat because I'm not going to have a whole lot of this, mostly because I'm impatient.

I have also spun some of the roving that I dyed and I love it. I'm being disciplined about saving that until I have this plied. That yarn is really lovely and cries out to be a scarf. Stay tuned.

Toxic Socks

2010-09-20T08:13:00.001-07:00

Toxic Socks
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Finally started these "Toxic Socks." I promised myself I wouldn't start them until I finished the Hibiscus for Hope socks. I did and here are the Toxic Socks. The urge to start the next project can be overpowering as every knitter knows, but I was strong!

So far the pattern is pretty easy. It's written to be done on one circular needle, but I'm doing them on 5 double-points so I have to do a little amending of the pattern. That's been fairly easy thus far. These socks are going to be a bit wide, but I think they'll be good for winter. They are longer than most of the socks that I knit with a length of about 10 inches above the heel. Not quite knee socks, but higher than most of my other socks.

The game plan is to finish these and start on some more socks with my hand-dyed yarn. I have shown great restraint in not getting any of that on some needles. Startitis, the curse of the avid knitter!

Hibiscus for Hope

2010-09-01T21:46:00.001-07:00

Hibiscus for Hope
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Well, I finally finished these socks, started in April. Way too long, but I took up spinning, started a sweater (still unfinished) and did a lot of other things. I finally forced my self to finish them because I'm dying to start knitting the pattern Toxic Socks, black and white socks with skull and crossbones. How can I resist that? But I was disciplined enough to finish at least one project before casting on another. You knitters know how much restraint that took!

This pattern was given to me by Mezzodiva who gives you the pattern when you donate to her breast cancer walk. So these are good deed socks.

With fall coming, at least I have new socks to look forward to.

Hand-Dyed Yarn

2010-06-08T15:00:00.001-07:00

Hand-Dyed Yarn
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Just a note to show what the hand-dyed yarn looks like when it was wound into a cake. The one on the left is merino and silk while the one on the right is superwash merino and nylon. I definitely prefer the way the merino and silk took the dye although I'm very happy with both outcomes.

I have to roll up the roving too. It will be interesting to see how that looks when it's spun.

Dyeing Class

2010-06-06T19:23:00.001-07:00

Dyed Yarn
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

I went down to Stockton, NJ, to take a class in hand dyeing fiber. We were lucky to have lovely weather--not too hot and the threatened thundershowers never materialized. All to the good since we were working outside.

I dyed two skeins of yarn from Knitpicks--one superwash merino and nylon and one merino and silk--and four ounces of pure white roving.

The yarn in the foreground is the merino and silk. It took the dye really well. Almost nothing washed out during the rinse. The superwash also worked well, but more dye did rinse out. I'm not a pastel girl, but I really like the merino and silk which I think looks like spring flowers. It will make some really terrific socks.

Cousin Dan thinks the roving is reminiscent of a t-shirt from a Grateful Dead concert. This is not a criticism. I'm looking forward to seeing how it spins up. Of course, with the Little Debbie project, I don't know how much time I'm going to have to spin it. Maybe when I have a wheel and don't have to spin it on the drop spindle...

Little Debby Project

2010-06-02T19:07:00.001-07:00

Little Debby
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

A group from the Essex Spinners decided to buy a fleece from Julie Gerow and divided it for each of us to use it as we see fit. I am documenting my "sheep to finished object" sojourn.

This photo shows the fleece as it looked when I took it out of the bag it came in. Little Debby is a coated sheep so her fleece is very clean and free of vegetable matter. Julie skirted the fleece so the yucky parts were eliminated. This is one pound of fleece. It has brown and grays and some lovely silvery parts. This is a "dark" portion of the fleece. Some spinners got lighter portions.

I pulled off a section of fleece and washed it twice. It is now drying in the powder room. I plan to flick card it and spin it on a drop spindle since I don't yet have a wheel. I'm a complete novice at spinning so the progress of this project should be interesting and perhaps a little trying.

Knitting Olympics Afghan

2010-02-19T06:28:00.001-08:00

Olympic Afghan-2/18/2010
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

So here's the afghan I started as my entry in the Knitting Olympics. I started it during the opening ceremonies and here it is after a little less than a week. Now since the Olympics are nearly half over, this should be nearly half done, but it's about 25% complete. I guess I'm hoping that I will experience "negative splits" which is a term we use in running when you run the second half of the race faster than the first. I'm putting on a full-court press today because I'm busy for a couple of evenings this week so I'll need to put down some rows to keep up.

Stay tuned for more progress.

Olympic Knitting Stash

2010-02-11T13:18:00.001-08:00

Olympic Knitting Stash
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Okay, folks. The Knitting Olympics (the Yarn Harlot's invention) and the Ravelympics start tomorrow at the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics. I am planning on making an afghan using the yarn in this photo. The deal is you have to finish by the time they extinguish the Olympic flame. Wish me luck. I'll be firing up the old Addi Turbo tomorrow night. Pictures to follow.

Finished Port Orford Sweater

2010-01-29T17:29:00.001-08:00

Finished Port Orford Sweater
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Well, I finally finished this sweater after losing the instructions, losing the replacement instructions and resisting sewing it together. The knitting is rarely the hard part for me. It's the associated stuff that gets me down.

I like the sweater a lot although I don't find it slimming. And today it caught on everything--a cat's claw, a nail at work, my bracelet. So it's going to have a lot of little threads sticking out if I'm not careful. But, hey, it's for wearing, right?

I still have a hoodie that needs sewing up. I did a little less than half of it during the first of the 2008 presidential debates. I finished the Port Orford by taking it with me to the Wednesday knitting group at the Village Sheep in Washington Depot, CT. The company was great and the tediousness of the sewing was thus mitigated. Maybe the hoodie needs to go with me next week.

Turns out my friend Cathy made a couple of very similar sweaters for her kids. Maybe the similarity of our taste is one of the reasons we've been friends for over 40 years.

Onward and upward to new projects and the Ravelympics!

2009-12-22T15:34:00.000-08:00

Well, you never know where you're going to find useful information on matters of national security. Seems that the place for me to go is Ravelry, the all-important knitting site. That's where I found this terrorism alert. Apparently the threat level is somewhere between Bert and Ernie. No one comes between Bert and Ernie! Couldn't figure out how to get the whole chart. The most serious level is the Elmo (red) level. Watch out if the Department of Homeland Security calls an Elmo!

Here are some socks that I barely finished in time for the holiday. I'm working on a hat when I'm not studying the terrorism threat. I can finish the hat tonight, but it still needs to be felted. I'll have to dry it with a hair dryer. Hmm...

Shoulder Cat

2009-11-22T17:07:00.001-08:00

Shoulder Cat
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Tortellini likes to get up on my shoulder for brief periods. I think it helps her in her role as lookout. She is a very cute and loving cat. I'm lucky to have her.

She's not the only adorable cat around here. Abby and Nora are pretty wonderful too. Torts and Nora sometimes fight--not in a friendly cat wrestling kind of way, but like real antagonists. So it's nice to see them sitting sweetly together even if it's only because it's cold.

And Abby? She loves to sit on the (formerly) neatly folded packing paper. I finally had to get rid of this paper since tomorrow is recycling day, but if I ever empty another box there'll be a new pile for her.

No knitting posts today, just kitties. They do seem to go together.

I Can Haz Bukkit?

2009-11-06T19:35:00.000-08:00

I have many, many works in progress so of course I had to start something new. I needed a hat since I have gone about three years without a usable hat. (I had some commercial knitted berets with elastic that was completely shot. Tossed them when I moved. Good idea.) So I looked in some books at the Village Sheep and found directions for a felted bucket hat from Chic Knits. I pulled some purple Cascade 220 out of the stash. Figured if it came out okay that Zoe might like it since purple is her color.

It was easy to knit, but the adult size requires 220 yards of yarn, the exact yardage of the Cascade. What did you think the 220 in the name meant? I found my gauge was okay on the stitches per inch, but short on rows. So when I tried to knit it to the exact directions, there wasn't enough yarn. I spoke to an employee at Modern Yarns in Montclair who told me that if you follow the instructions and knit to 5.5 inches in the body of the hat, it will be too deep when you felt it and come down past your ears. So I pulled out some rows and squeezed out the whole hat out of a single skein.

The next area of anxiety was the question as to whether my new front loader would felt the finished hat. The front loader has a pause button that allows you to open the door and check your project (or add newly discovered laundry.) Well, the energy efficient, super gentle washer did an excellent job of felting! I was very pleased. The hat is drying on a Farberware sauce pan. I think it's going to be great. The hat is not too deep. I've already started one in red. And maybe I need one in black. And how 'bout one in Noro? I see holiday presents! It takes about one evening or a little more to knit.

Grazing Sheep Bag

2009-04-27T21:06:00.001-07:00

Grazing Sheep Bag
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

I finally sewed up the Grazing Sheep Bag and felted it. I also felted the i-cord handles. Just have to sew them in. A friend foolishly offered to line it for me, but I think that may be too much to ask. As someone who disdains sewing, it is hard for me to understand someone volunteering to do it, but maybe she will.

Meanwhile, I like the bag very much. I made one adaptation. Well, two. I added a black sheep on the back of the bag on the theory that one has to have at least one black sheep. I also did seed stitch on the top edge because I was afraid the edge might roll.

A Perfect Blendship

2009-04-06T09:20:00.001-07:00

A Perfect Blendship
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

"If you're ever up a tree, send for me,
If you're ever down a well, ring my bell.
If you ever get so happy, you land in jail,
I'm your bail.
That's friendship, friendship, just a perfect blendship.
When other friendships have been forgot,
Ours will still be hot."

Or so said Cole Porter.

The kitties seem to concur. Here Abigail and Tortellini enjoy some window time together. Two matching catloaves.

And here is a completed Kitty Sock. The full pair is done. Alpaca is soft (but you knew that), and all is right with the world.

The iPhone Cozy

2009-02-23T14:55:00.001-08:00

iPhone Cozy II
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

I knitted and felted an iPhone cozy. This is a little project, one you can knit in one evening with any suitable (i.e. feltable) scrap yarn. To make it work you have to knit a swatch that is nearly as big as the finished project and then felt the swatch and do a little Algebra I to get the sizing right. You always wondered where that algebra was going to come in handy and it turns out that it's useful in the domestic arts! Who knew?

Anyhow, I quickly knitted this up, sewed up the bottom and ran it through the washing machine. I decided it was a bit too roomy so I felted it in the bathroom sink using hot water, Soak (a soap for washing woolens) and a bit of wringing of the cozy. It came down in size (and got a bit thicker too, a good thing) quickly. Then I had to find a button. I couldn't find anything purple so I took this grey job which I like a lot because it has a grain look. I'm happy and the iPhone is happy too.

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, Abigail took it all in stride.

Grazing Sheep Bag in Process

2009-02-13T11:01:00.001-08:00

Grazing Sheep Bag in Process
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Long time, no post. Here's a work in progress. It is a felted bag from the book "I 'Heart' Felt" by Kathleen Taylor. It was featured in last month's Knit Picks catalog, but alas, Knit Picks was out of the book when I tried to order it as well as some of the colors. I had a gift certificate from Amazon and free (and available) trumps 40% off any time. Tortellini approved of the Amazon box.

Of course, Wool of the Andes is a lot cheaper than Ultra Alpaca, but when they don't have it, the price doesn't much matter.

This design sshould be easy. It's all stockinette, after all. But the chart has been harder to follow than I would have predicted. I suspect that's because it is 100 stitches wide, and that's a long line to follow. Also it's sheer "easiness" makes one less meticulous. So I've done my share of frogging. And it will not be fun weaving in all those ends! I was toying with the idea of not lining this baby, but 1) a lovely person in my knitting group offered to do the sewing for me and 2) a lining will hide a multitude of unwoven ends so I will probably go for a lining.

The good news: I'm more than half done. Only 3 sheep to do and then it's truly easy. The bad news: the ends and making i-cord since I want to be able to carry it over my shoulder.

Princess & Pea

2008-11-22T19:02:00.001-08:00

Princess & Pea II
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

This is Abigail. She is sitting on four felted bags. I made these bags as Christmas gifts and recently decided to felt them more than I had at first. I took them up to Connecticut and ran them through the washer. Left 'em up there to dry. When I returned, I stacked them up and Abigail claimed them immediately. She says there are no peas under her mattresses so her sleep is not disturbed.

Meanwhile (always stay away from recipes that use the word "meanwhile"--these are words to live by!) I made a felted cat bed, the Kitty Pi bed by Wendy Johnson, with Nora in mind. All the kitties like it, but Nora seems to have claimed it for herself. There are probably three more Kitty Pi's in my future...

Big Bag Swap

2008-10-29T15:10:00.001-07:00

Penny's Bag II
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

I participated in a Ravelry swap. For those not familiar with a swap, it works like this. You sign up to knit a specific project to someone who is assigned to you whom you don't know. Someone else in the group is assigned to make you the same item. Often "goodies" are part of the swap--knitting things, chocolate, tea, etc. If the swap works, you send out a package and around the same time, you receive one. Fun!

So here is what I received. A lovely felted bag in the assigned pattern, some luscious sock yarn, cookies, candy, tea, a teleidoscope, a mug with a sheep, hand creme, Eucalan soap (for knitwear), a scratch pad in the shape of the letter "P" and some trail mix. I have to put off eating the goodies (except the tea) until I've finished my treatment for diverticulitis. One more day to go!

Penny, the lovely knitter who sent me these things, is from Winnipeg. I sent a similar package to Jen in California.

Here's the bag I made. I didn't photograph the goodies, but they included a soft sculpture elephant for Jen's 2-year-old son, chocolate jack-o'-lanterns, a tape measure, Soak soap, some tea, a wooden bookmark, a knitting project bag, a toy mouse for Jen's cat (gotta include the whole family!) and a toy sheep (ever knitter needs one!)

This was fun!

Rhinebeck

2008-10-22T12:52:00.001-07:00

Gorgeous
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

This past weekend was the third in October which means it was time for the Sheep and Wool Family Festival in Rhinebeck, NY. As usual, the weather was gorgeous, and so were the sheep. Here's one particularly beautiful specimen. I didn't get any photos of the alpacas, llamas or goats or of the fall colors, for that matter. But they were there in great numbers and looking good.

There were lots of Ravelry buttons. I couldn't make the events since Saturday is a workday for me and the big party was Saturday night. But it was good to see a lot of Ravelers in attendance. My favorite political button of the day read, "A llama for Obama". I would wear one of those if I could find one.

The sheep apparently have to primp as much as some of the people. As Frieda from "Peanuts" would say, "People just expect more of you when you have naturally curly hair."

Cat Butts

2008-10-08T18:22:00.001-07:00

Ifs, And, Butts
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Mommy put some black oil sunflower seed on the windowsill, and a little house finch came to take advantage of the offering. Soon all the girls were at the window watching the bird.

That's Tortellini on the left, Nora on the right and the huge derriere of Abigail in the middle. She is one fat cat. Considering how skinny she was in May when I adopted her, this is not good. But she eats up everything the other two leave behind. She doesn't seem to understand that she doesn't have a tapeworm anymore. And there is no cat on Earth who is less inclined to move. Anyone know of a kitty gym?

Spunky

2008-09-10T09:08:00.000-07:00

Lou Grant: You know what, Mary? You're spunky.
Mary: Thanks.
Lou Grant: I hate spunky.

Big Bolt

2008-09-02T17:48:00.001-07:00

Lightning Strike
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

I putted out of my driveway, and as I turned right I saw this tree. It was missing some bark although at the time I thought it was only a few feet of bark. When I came home, I explored the tree more carefully and realized that the damage ran the entire length of the tree which is 50-60 feet high.

Apparently a lightning bolt hit this tree at the top and stripped away a 6" wide piece of wood straight down to the ground. Wood pieces were all around the base of the tree and across the road. The neighbors had been away and knew nothing of what had happened. Lightning is powerful, and I'll bet this event was very loud. The kitties would have been freaked out. So would I. Now we know why "when it thunders, don't run under a tree."

I'll be interested to see whether this tree thrives during the next few years. I'm betting it will. (I think it's an aspen or at least it is aspen-like.)

Waterlilies and More

2008-08-26T20:51:00.001-07:00

Waterlilies
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

I took this photo in Warren, CT, at a place that some call Eel Pond and many locals call Warren Flats. It is part of the local land trust which is a good thing because it is a lovely place to see wildlife. It's right on Rte. 341 with part of it on each side of the road. I'd love to be able to visit the far side of the pond, but I have no idea how to get there. There are white waterlilies and another variety that are yellow.

I really want to write about knitting, but I don't have the photos to show right now. I finished the Windowpane socks, and I am pleased with them. This is not to imply they are mistake-free. Somehow there are some subtle errors in them. The Persian rugmakers always had errors in their rugs because "only God is perfect." Lord knows perfection eludes me! I have a whole ball of the pink yarn left over so perhaps I will make a second pair and make different errors.

Tomorrow I should hear about a knitalong and swap of the Big Bag pattern that I have been knitting of late. We'll have 6 weeks to knit it and ship it to the designated recipient. Shipping is easy for me since I have a UPS account at the store. Selecting the goodies to go with the bag should be fun. The knitting doesn't take long--less time than the political conventions--but it takes about three days for the felted bag to dry so I have to figure that into my calculations.

Meanwhile, I am trying valiently to finish Cleopatra's Stockings, the June/July offering from the Rockin' Sock Club. I hate the pattern so I am having a serious bout of "second sock syndrome." Today I started the second one, weeks after I completed the nasty first one. Talk about errors in my knitting! There are far too many charts in this pattern. No sock pattern should be 11 pages long! Especially when the finished product is so ho-hum. Oh well, they can't hit one out of the park every time.

A Little Knitting, A Little Birding, A Big Spider

2008-08-08T20:01:00.001-07:00

Windowpane II
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Just came back from the Wild Bird Center Annual Convention in Annapolis, MD. I had a great time and even had a little time to work on my Windowpane socks. I started this sock just before I left on Sunday. Sock #1 is done almost up to the toe. This pattern is quite easy to do--although that didn't keep me from reading the charts from left to right rather than the other way. It didn't really make a heck of a lot of difference, fortunately.

Saw lots of birds in Maryland. We traveled to Blackwater National Wildlife Reserve. There were eagles everywhere and osprey too. Lots of great blue herons, great egrets, snowy egrets and Carolina wrens. We saw about 38 species from red-headed woodpeckers to red-eyed vireos. We did not see the endangered Delmarva fox squirrel although we did see a sign that said "Caution-Endangered Squirrels".

The weather co-operated. It was hot and sunny, but there was a light breeze which kept it bearable. The insects weren't too bad. Some of our colleagues didn't want to come for fear of mosquitoes and other biting insects so they missed out on some great birding. There was the occasional deer fly, but no worse than the ones we get on our summer walks in NJ.

We saw this spider making a web by an informational sign. I'm told it is called a black-and-yellow spider (surprise!). It's not something we get in the northeast (thank you!), but it is apparently not that unusual south of where I hang out. I was glad it was making a web and not jumping out from a tree or shrub. Its body is about an inch-and-a-half long. This specimen seems to be missing a leg.

Tortellini

2008-07-02T19:04:00.001-07:00

Tortellini
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

This is Tortellini, my newest kitty. She is 2.8 lbs. and totally delightful.

I'm amazed at how different the three kitties are, and how different they all are from the late Nicholas. Nora is a climber and loves to visit any high place she can get to. She likes to hide in closets and the back of shelves. Abigail wants to spend time with people and will even nap right out in the open because she doesn't want to miss the action. She's a huge eater.

Tortellini is affectionate and likes to play with other kitties--although my other girls haven't reconciled to her yet. It's only been three days. Nora is totally pissed, but Abigail shows signs of relenting.

Nicholas was dignified and he could tell time--sort of. He would start to ask for dinner about an hour and a half before dinnertime. It never hurts to ask! Nick did the meet-and-greet with customers until naptime. He'd nap in the chair at the register so that he could keep an eye on things. He warmed his paws on the credit card machine because, well, it's important to have warm paws. He always deferred to Nora at the food bowl because he was a lover and not a fighter.

Three cats seems like a lot. Especially when they all want to be next to you. I can't stand up without attracting a crowd. It will be interesting to see how sleeping arrangements evolve. On her first night with me Tortellini slept between two felted slippers at the side of the bed, and Abigail slept at the foot of the bed. (Nora spent the night in the closet.) The next night she slept in the crook of my arm and Abigail was elsewhere in the room.

We also have to resolve who is going to work each day. For now Tortellini needs to go to work every day because she's a kitten and needs attention. Abigail likes to go to work in spite of not liking the car very much. Nora resists coming down from the top shelf in the closet, but she should come to the store occasionally. We'll work it out, I'm sure.

The Big Bag

2008-05-29T07:33:00.001-07:00

Big Bag Felted
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Well, any family member who reads this will probably know what she's getting for Christmas...

I made this felted bag from a pattern on Ravelry. A friend had made it with reds. Her young son quickly dubbed it the "Elmo bag" because one of the colors matched his hero. I went a different route, but I do love the pattern which is very easy but produces a lovely finished product. I haven't decided if perhaps I should felt it a bit more, but the density of the fabric is very nice as it is.

And don't we all need more bags to take to the supermarket? Those dumb bags they sell at the store are practical, but boring--and they have those store logos on them. This bag makes a statement without any ads.

Nora seemed to like the bag too. So far she hasn't been inside it, but I imagine that's in her future too.

New Kitty

2008-05-21T19:00:00.001-07:00

Second Photo
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

With the passing of dear, sweet Nicholas, Nora and I had a hole in our hearts. I took myself off to Kent Kats whence came both Nick and Nora, and I walked out with this new kitty, a one-year old who we think will be called Abigail. (When I had to select a Hebrew name for my mother Beatrice, I picked Abigail. Hmmm.)

She is what I call a "tabico" because she is part tabby and part calico. She's about Nora's size and very sweet. Nora is not yet reconciled to the idea of another girl in the family, but I think she'll come around. She's hissed at the new kitty and growled, but then she runs away from her. No fighting so far.

Abigail was pretty calm when I brought her home to the house in Kent, but she flipped out this morning and didn't want to get in the carrier even though she'd been in and out of it all day on Monday and Tuesday. She hid all day in the store. When I tried to get her out, she resisted--and boy, is she strong...and fast. Got her home and she is currently hiding under the chest of drawers. It's been a confusing couple of days and I don't blame her for being a little freaked out.

She's slept on the bed with me the last two nights. Very agreeable. And she eats anything that isn't nailed down. Stay tuned.

Latvian Mitten

2008-05-14T08:22:00.001-07:00

Latvian Mitten
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Started this some time ago, but other projects got in the way. It's really lovely, and not terribly hard to do although the needles are small. It's about to come to the top of the project list since I just invested a huge amount of money in 50% off yarn at Enchanting Yarns which, alas, is going out of business. I bought a lot of yarn to be turned into Latvian Mittens so I'm obliged to finish these soon.

Please note the space where the thumb will go. Not hard to do. Weaving in the ends will be the part that annoys me. For the next mitten I will carry the yarn much more often. I'm still learning the best way to do these. Haven't decided if I want to line these. It will depend on the fit, I think. If there's a lot of room, I'll do a lining, but I suspect these will be a good fit rather than a loose fit.

I Visit Cape May

2008-05-04T17:49:00.001-07:00

Paca Dude
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

My friend Liz and I went to Cape May, NJ, this weekend. A lovely customer of mine lent us her house. She warned us that we'd probably need to wash sheets when we got there. However, when we got there there were no sheets or towels to be washed. We hightailed it back to Cape May Courthouse which is just north of town and found a Home Goods and got what we needed. (The towels were great--soft and absorbent--and I could use some new towels, but the fitted sheet didn't fit. I improvised.)

The weather was supposed to turn lousy, but it never did. We didn't see a lot of birds--disappointing that. But we saw lots of dolphins and a couple of huge (100+) flights of cormorants.

The trip home was "eventful". We'd gone in Liz's car which is 15 years old but only has 67,000 miles. There was a piece of something loose on the front which broke off on the Garden State Parkway and shredded the rear driver-side tire. Then the donut tire which the service guy put on for us went flat and we got towed to a PepBoys in Hazlet. Much waiting and a trip to an Italian restaurant with patrons from a sociological group with which we were unfamiliar, and a new tire was installed. We made it home without much more ado other than a slow trip through the Lincoln Tunnel.

The cute alpaca shown here was from an alpaca farm in Cape May. They have about 23 boys, girls and babies. Alpacas is adorable! I love this dude's haircut. These people also refer in their literature to the "alpaca lifestyle", something I'm still trying to understand. Their fleece is very soft though. I bought some yarn there. So what else is new?

Finished Leaflings

2008-04-29T15:19:00.001-07:00

Finished Leaflings
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Well, I finally finished the Leafling socks. Started April 9, finished on April 28--not too bad. I like them, I like the colorway. I finished with a "star" toe because I hate the way toes finish with Kitchener stitch. In my experience Kitchener always spreads and the space gets too big. The star toe ends with six stitches that you run the yarn through. You get a tight circle and a nice look on the toe too.

I've started some socks with a bright orange and yellow yarn that is called "Florida Sunshine" if memory serves (and when does it these days.) Very cheery, but I'm not sure about the pattern, and I was going to do them on one circular needle but seem to be all bollixed up on that front. Right now one sock is on a single circular needle and one is on two circulars of the same size. I'm not sure about the pattern, and the whole project my wind up in the frog pond. The process was not improved by young Nora who chomped into the yarn and broke it on one sock. Grrr...

Spring

2008-04-15T18:39:00.001-07:00

Spring Blue
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

You gotta love spring. The little flowers--the crocuses, the grape hyacinths, the miniatrure daffodils--are beginning to pop. The leaves on the trees, at least in the Litchfield Hills, are for the most part a thing of the future. So the little bits of color are a real joy. The snow is gone--has been for a few weeks--but the lawns are mostly brown.

This is the time of year when you don't feel so bad about the labor, sweat and tennis elbow you experienced last fall when the bulbs were planted. Truth to tell, these were planted a couple of years back.

Soon the forsythia will be in bloom, looking like this:

Even though it's only yellow for a couple of weeks and then grows at a prodigious rate and has to be hacked back with a machete, even though...ya gotta love it.

World's Loudest Mitten

2008-04-03T18:48:00.001-07:00

World's Loundest Mitten
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

This is my finished mitten from the Magnificent Mitten class. It's all done. I've even knitted the lining and started the second mitten. They actually knit up fairly fast if you work on it, but I have 5 projects that are currently on needles. The Yarn Harlot calls this "startitis", the desire (and act of) starting a new project even though you have plenty of other works in progress. (See "Second Sock Syndrome".)

Let's see. WIPs of the day: mitten #2; sock #2 from the Rockin' Sock Club's first offering of 2008 (note my restraint at not having started the sock from the second offering although I admit to having wound the yarn into two neat balls); Liz's scarf; the Latvian Mitten; the Central Park Hoodie. I also knit the toe of a sock in the most amazing yellows and oranges, but I have restrained myself and put that aside. I don't even really consider that project a work in progress. After all, a to isn't much more of a commitment than winding the yarn, right?

If I weren't writing this silly post, I could get some good knitting accomplished! Bye.

Central Park Hoodie-Part Trois

2008-03-28T11:02:00.001-07:00

Central Park Hoodie-Part Trois
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Well, the hoodie is making progress--although there seems to still be a long way to go. I've finished the back and the left front. The right front is in the early stages. The good news is that I blocked the two finished pieces and they block to the correct size and are the same size as eachother. (This latter really shouldn't be a problem since the cables give you a reliabe way to count rows.)

The right front, the two sleeves the hood and the front bands remain. And of course, sewing the @#$%& thing together and putting in the zipper. I have already told myself that I will have a professional put in the zipper. My mother would have rolled her eyes at this, but then, she was the professional. I don't have a sewing machine, and I don't want one. There's a very good tailor in town, and she can do it for me. She can use the business.

By the time I finish this, it will be too late to wear it until fall, but then fall has a way of sneaking up on me, and it will be a thrill to have a nice new hoodie to wear when there's a chill in the air.

Central Park Hoodie

2008-03-12T11:24:00.001-07:00

Central Park Hoodie
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Well, it's been ages since I've knitted a sweater. The past couple of years have all been about socks, more socks, scarves and felted slippers and bags.

Then I got the idea that I wanted to knit a hoodie. Looked for a pattern for a long time. The Yarn Harlot started to knit a sweater out of a Paton's pattern book and I discovered that it contained a great hoodie. But all the Harlot fans bought up the book at every Michael's and Joann's in this part of the world. So the search continued. Then I discovered the Central Park Hoodie. I downloaded the pattern (which cost more than the Paton's book with 5-6 patterns in it) and started. It's knitting up fast.

Of course, I made a boo-boo at the second cable and only discoverd it later. I'm too lazy to frog back since it isn't impossibly obvious. I remind myself that Persian rugmakers say that their wares always have errors because only Allah is perfect. I know I'm not, and this will prove it.

I like the color--more than the gray or green that the pattern uses-blech. It's Lion Brand Wool--soft, a rich color, not terribly expensive.

I'll have to decide down the road whether to go with buttons or a zipper. I'm tending towards the zipper since that seems more compatible with a hoodie, but time will tell. Stay tuned.

World's Loudest Mitten

2008-03-05T14:44:00.001-08:00

World's Loudest Mitten
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

Okay. So I signed up for the Magnificent Mitten class at my LYS, Enchanting Yarns and Things. Magnificent Mittens is a book by Anna Zilboorg that is now out of print. So Lisa, the instructor, got permission from the publisher to teach from it and photocopy the patterns.

I chose really loud colors. I couldn't get quite the colors I wanted so I threw caution to the wind and said, "What the hell," and went with what you see. It will actually match a fuschia storm jacket and a fleece hooded jacket I have. You'll be able to find me in the snow, I think.

The knitting is actually very easy on these mittens, but the instructions in the book are a little confusing at first. Once you understand what's what, it's not hard to make these babies. I am a bit apprehensive about knitting the lining since that's mostly (or completely) done by improvisation. I don't want my lining to be lumpy or too tight so I'll have to experiment. Lisa points out that since you do the lining with big needles, it's no big deal to frog back if you get it wrong since it knits up fast.

Mitten #1 is nearly done--or at least the outside is. The lining and mitten #2 will follow soon. (I hope--got to start my Rockin' Sock Club offering before the next one comes later this month. I tried to start it last night, knit a swatch and decided I needed smaller needles which I didn't have with me in CT. )

The Blue Sock

2008-02-20T12:03:00.001-08:00

The Blue Sock
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

I seem to have a lot of WIPs ("works in progress" to you non-knitters). I started this one earlier this week and then went to a mitten class and started a new pair of mittens although my Latvian mittens aren't that far along. Soon I'll need to start the first sock pattern from the Rockin' Sock Club or I will get hopelessly behind for the year. Oh, and I'm making a scarf for a friend. While scarf season will soon be over, I'm working on the theory that it is the thought that counts. Well, it is, isn't it?

I also have 4 (or more) projects gracing the stash. These are projects where I have the yarn and the pattern rather than just the yarn with no idea about what I'm going to do with it. Busy, busy.

The nice thing about the mittens from the class is that they are worsted weight and move along smartly. The Latvian mittens are done in sport weight on size 1 needles. Pictures to follow.

Summer of Love

2007-11-22T13:02:00.001-08:00

Summer of Love
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

These socks are knitted from a pattern called "Summer of Love", the August offering of the Rockin' Sock Club. I'm a bit behind. Finished these a week or so ago and I'm on the heel of the first October sock, a pattern called "Lenore" in a colorway called "Raven". I like this pattern a lot. It's the work of Stephanie Pearl McPhee, also known as the Yarn Harlot.

As for Summer of Love, I had imagined that they were going to be tricky to knit, but they turned out to be quite straightforward and knit up in no time. I got behind working on Christmas presents and the thought of the holidays looming in front of us has made it clear that I'm going to continue to be behind. Oh, well. Hope those who are lucky enough to receive handknit presents are suitably grateful! I'll show some of those after the holidays. No family spoilers here!

Lattice Walker

2007-07-19T19:06:00.001-07:00

Lattice Walker
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ

This is Nora in the guise of an lolcat. These cat photos are captioned in a sort of a "cat pidgen" that you can learn by looking at a few other lolcats on line. They are pretty funny or sometimes just cute and occasionally incomprehesible to the uninitiated.

I found that when I posted these photos, they got a lot of views on flickr. While I realize that Nora is adorable, there must be something about lolcats that amuses people.

Thoughts of Gary Larson

2007-04-27T20:20:00.001-07:00

Vultures
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

What's the Gary Larson cartoon? Setting: a couple of vultures sitting on a dead rhino. One says, "What a great day. The sun beating down on us, a dead rhino beneath our feet and friends flying in from all over." Well, this is the Connecticut version. The dead critter was a raccoon, probably a young one. I captured these three turkey vultures and one black vulture (the one on the right) enjoying a meal. Several other turkey vultures circled overhead as these kids feasted. Life is good.

Socks

2007-04-17T17:56:00.001-07:00

Monsoon Sock
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

This is my "Socks That Rock" sock in progress. I finished both socks the other day without suffering too much second sock syndrome. I did have a small bout of "SSS" since this is a fussy pattern. I was particularly irritated at having to do a different rib for the sole and the instep. Meant I had to pay attention! I like knitting on automatic pilot or following a complicated pattern. This half-and-half business was just tedious. Anyhow, they are done! Alas, I agree with those members who thought this colorway looked like camoflage.

The finished product is above. I am modeling both sides--the inside and the outside of these reversible socks. The patterning on my socks was stripey while some other club members had pooling. There's actually a little pooling on the sock on the left even while the stripes predominate. Hmm...

And here is what I am working on now: yarn from Great Adirondack. I didn't know this company until recently, but I love their colors. I'm a primary color person more than a pastel or muted girl. GA has yarn with intense colors and lots of blues, my favorite. I have a skein of their "Blueberry" colorway waiting for me when I finish these socks. (It may have to wait until I finish the April Socks That Rock offering. I don't want to fall behind and spend December and January playing catch up.) Just how many socks can a girl have? Or give to friends? Lots, I think.

Nora in the Ficus

2007-04-04T14:28:00.001-07:00

Nora in the Ficus
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

Nora loves to sit in all the flower pots. She also likes to destroy some of the plants. But look how cute she is. It's hard not to just let her do whatever she wants. (Natural lighting helps, but she knows how to pose and find her key light making the work of the photographer easy.) She's climbed the ficus several times, but lately she's decided there isn't anything interesting up there and seems to just like sitting in the pot--or splashing the muddy water when I come with the watering can.

Travelling Sock

2007-03-24T19:27:00.001-07:00

Travelling Sock
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

This is the start of sock #2 from the STR (Socks That Rock) wool from Blue Moon Fiber Arts' Rockin' Sock Club. I took it to the Fashion Institute of Technology to see Stephanie Pearl-McPhee give a talk at the launch of her new book Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off. Steph is the Yarn Harlot, a knitting-humor blogger. No one knew there was such a thing until she invented it.

The talk was delightful. The auditorium, which seats 750, was nearly filled. Each attendee was given a bag containing a ball of yarn, #8 needles and instructions to knit a 7X9 rectangle that would be sewn into afghans and given to people made homeless by flood and fire.

Steph gave the knitters a lot to think and laugh about: why don't knitters get any respect; why do "muggles" (non-knitters, a word appropriated from Harry Potter) think it is wasteful to knit socks when you can buy them in Wal-Mart rather than the other way around; why is there more an one way to size needles (metric and American); why are swatches lying little scraps of yarn; why, if you knit, it is assumed you want to date men regardless of your gender? I'll add, "Why is there no decent sock wool in Wellington, NZ, in a country with 30 million sheep?"

It was great to see so many socks in progress, so much beautiful yarn, so many enthusiastic knitters--some from Switzerland, England, California and even western Massachusetts! If you're a knitter and Steph comes to your town, run--don't walk--to hear her talk. Buy a book too.

Socks That Rock

2007-03-07T19:28:00.001-08:00

Socks That Rock--Monsoon Colorway
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

I joined the "Rockin' Sock Club", a sort of a sock-kit-of-the-month club. Well, every other month. The first kit of the year included this yarn, the little skein on a keychain, a bumper sticker for "Notorious Sock Knitters" and instructions in a binder.

The women who own Blue Moon Fiber Arts and created the Rockin' Sock Club had their bank account canceled because the bankers couldn't believe that 800 people (mostly women) wanted to join a sock club. In the end over 2000 people all around the world joined. In a few weeks there should be 4000 socks in this colorway which is called Monsoon.

Here's how the yarn looks when it's made into a ball suitable for knitting.

Stay tuned. Photos of the socks as they progress will follow.

Parrot Mania

2006-12-07T11:36:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. The author is more than a bit strange. But it led me to a little websurfing and I found this blog about Brooklyn Parrots . More than you'd ever want to know about parrots in New York. Marie Winn reports that a parrot nest has been found under an air conditioner in a sixth story window on W. 103rd St. The first parrots in Manhattan in a long time. Some birders are snotty about these birds since they are "non-native". Fortunately, here in New York we have usually been welcoming to immigrants.

Is That a Yawn or a Laugh?

2006-12-05T18:51:00.000-08:00

Is That a Yawn or a Laugh?
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

Okay. I admit that this was a lucky shot. Nora was sleeping on the afghan on the arm of the sofa, a favorite haunt of hers. I grabbed the camera to get a cute shot of her snoozing. While I was waiting for the flash to power up she woke up, I took the photo and this is what I got. It looks like a cross between a laugh and the Rolling Stones logo.

Cat Fitness Magazine

2006-11-14T16:25:00.000-08:00

Cat Fitness Magazine
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

I made this faux magazine cover with the help of flickrtoys. Leslie is a customer and friend who is a devoted animal lover. Tomorrow is her birthday so I honored her with this cover of Cat Fitness magazine. You'll notice Nora on the cover keeping fit by snoozing on the back of the sofa.

Sometimes it's good to have a day off where you don't do anything significant.

New Kitten

2006-10-29T06:30:00.000-08:00

Innocent Look
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

Well, I got a new kitten. I wasn't planning to. It just happened. She is tiny and adorable. She weighed 1.5 lbs. when I got her. She's now 3 lbs. so she's doing really well. But she had a cold when I first took her home and she wasn't eating enough and her left eye was tearing. She actually lost a little weight over the first week she was with me. (I weigh her on the store scale every day.)

Now she strong and completely crazy. She can hide anywhere and if she doesn't want to be picked up, she gallops away. Fortunately she's not too savvy yet. This is a photo of Nora hiding from me or so she thinks!

She can't resist provoking Nicholas. He's gotten used to her although he hissed at her for about a week and slept in the back of the store all day for about 3 days when she first came home. He wouldn't take any treats from me. ("I'll show her! Bringing that kitten here. I'll refuse treats!) He's mellowed out now although I keep telling Nora she's riding for a hiding when she takes a poke at him.

Monarch Caterpillar

2006-08-22T19:51:00.000-07:00

Monarch Caterpillar
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

We went on our Saturday birdwalk at Walker Avenue in Wayne, NJ. There were lots of dragonflies and some butterflies. We found several monarch caterpillars--fat and colorful.

Well, it was a chance to try out the new macro lens as was this shot of a bud on the sunflower in front of the store.

More to come...

King of the City

2006-08-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

King of the City
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

Brother and niece visited New York recently, and we took the subway down to Battery Park. I found this monarch dining on the flowers in the Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Garden along the waterfront. I'm always amazed at the variety of wildlife one can find in the City--if you look.

We saw the Coast Guard Memorial in the harbor near Castle Clinton. This is the only piece of sculpture that I'm aware of where part of it is deliberately in the water. It's a fitting tribute to the Coasties even if the birds are somewhat disrespectful.

We had gone to Charlottesville to visit Monticello. We also took in the campus at the University of Virginia where the bull thistle was in bloom.

Sunflower

2006-07-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

Sunflower
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

This photo is of a sunflower that I grew from a seed of the type I sell in the store. I put it in a large pot in front of the store--sort of a good will ambassador to potential seed buyers. The anthers and pistils are now all gone and you can see the seeds growing on the head. Seems a new photo is in order. The colors won't be so intense, but the pattern of the seeds in the head will be more apparent.

I celebrated the Fourth in Kent, CT. I found a fireworks display at a local summer camp near my house. It was quite a show for such a small number of observers. I wasn't sure that I'd be able to get any decent exposures, but some of them came out quite well.

Off to Virginia for a few days with my brother and a niece. Monticello is one desitination. I haven't been there since I was about 10 which is more than a few years ago.

Plum Tomatoes

2006-07-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

Plum Tomatoes
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

Summer is here and the tomatoes are beginning to put out fruit. These are plum tomatoes, San Marzanos to be exact, that I grow to make into sauce. The ones in this photo are very early in their growth. They'll get much bigger and fatter as the summer wears on. It always amazes me that tomatoes take so long to grow. I'm trying to be patient with little success.

Frogs continue to abound in the vernal pool (which still has lots of water thanks to torrential rains throughout June) aan elsewhere in my yard. They sit around the pool and jump in when I approach. Occasionally they cooperate and pose for photos. Here's a leopard frog.

I got some nice bird shots--a red-bellied woodpecker where you can actually get a peek of the red belly and a male cardinal who had gotten drenched fulfilling his parental duty to feed his young offspring.

Yellow Iris

2006-06-13T18:50:00.000-07:00

Yellow Iris
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

The irises were particularly good this year. I have a lot of rhizomes that I bought at Presby Garden, a famous iris garden in Montclair, NJ. Every summer they sell unidentified rhizomes to the eager public. You never know exactly what you're going to get so it's always a surprise the following spring. This yellow baby is probably not a Presby offering since it is in a different bed, but it sure is pretty.

It's been a very interesting spring in Kent. The vernal pool has been a continuing source of interest. Since we've had a lot of rain, the pool is nowhere near drying out although that could change if it gets hot in the next week or so. This week I saw a group of tadpoles murder another tadpole. I have no idea what this is all about. A customer told me a story about "big-headed salamanders" killing other tadpoles, but I haven't had a chance to research this theory. The birds, bear and raccoon will have to eat a lot of tads to prevent a biblical plague of frogs, toads and salamanders.

The large amount of rain made Kent Falls run particularly strong. The state is rebuilding the path to the top so the park is very quiet. Makes for great photo ops.

Friends Cathy and Bing stopped by for a visit and we traveled to River Road along the Housatonic. As we neared the Appalachian Trail, a white bird popped out of the shrubbery. To our astonishment, it was a white peacock whose presence at this location was unexpected to say the least. It's probably an escapee from someone's yard, but I put it on my life list nonetheless.

Bad Hair Day

2006-05-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

Bad Hair Day
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

This downy woodpecker really enjoyed the suet log, but for some reason his head feathers were up giving him a bad hair day. There's always something amusing going on at the feeders if you just keep your eyes open.

The downy wasn't the only critter at the suet feeder. At dusk, this raccoon, now named Satan, was found atop the feeder taking a snack. I came out and yelled, but he looked at me as if to say, "If you are not actually going to come out here and run after me, I'm not moving." So I ran outside waving like a banshee. I had to chase him twice more from the vicinity of the feeders, but in the morning the feeders were still as I'd left them showing that raccoons are less persistent than squirrels.

This photo was taken through the glass door with the flash hence the glare.

Also in town was the blue jay. Very handsome if a little noisy and perhaps a tad arrogant. (Must we always anthropomorphize? Yes, I guess we must!)

And the titmouse.

Sick Chipmunk

2006-05-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

Sick Chipmunk
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

This is the sad story of a sick chipmunk and how tough life in the wild can be. I was in Connecticut on a drizzly spring day and noticed that some of the chipmunks in the yard were a lot smaller than the others. It seems there were quite a few chipmunk babies.

One chipmunk, the one pictured here, was lethargic and somewhat strange looking. (Its eyes were never completely open and its rear legs didn't move right.) I approached it to throw some birdseed right near it since moving seemed to be a problem. He (or she?) managed to pick up some of the seed, but the other chippers didn't even bother to chase him. They must of realized that he wasn't right.

At one point I saw him belly up under the pachysandra, and I thought he'd met his maker. But he managed to right himself. He ultimately disappeared under the greenery. I don't know if he found shelter for the night or if exposure and other critters hastened his departure, but I kept reminding myself that 75% of creatures born in the wild don't make it to their first birthday. It's a jungle out there.

The irises were coming into bud. More than 30 buds are about to bloom. Spring birds have shown up: hummingbirds, chipping sparrows, rose-breasted grosbeaks. New frogs too.

The wood frogs had laid eggs weeks ago. Those eggs are now tadpoles which are getting bigger by the day. There are also some much smaller tads who may be other frogs or salamanders. I can't tell!

Happiness Poster

2006-04-14T19:14:00.000-07:00

Happiness Poster
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

I love all the "flickr toys" that allow you to make stamps, motivational posters and all kinds of other amusing things in a flash.

This is a photo of the female Eastern Bluebird in my yard turned into a motivational poster. You can make sarcastic ones too, but these bluebirds have really given me a thrill. We'll see if they stick around for nesting season.

Happiness

2006-04-11T20:26:00.000-07:00

Happiness
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

I know why this bird is called the "bluebird of happiness". I was thrilled when I saw this guy sitting on my nestbox. Perhaps he and his bride will move in. They spent a lot of time there on Sunday and part of Monday. On Monday they even put a little nest material in the box, but then disappeared for the rest of the afternoon.

I got this shot of the male shooting out of the box. I didn't intend this outcome, but I love the result.

The first daffodils of the season were blooming. They are always a pleasure.

I had a huge number of "nature notes" for the two days I had off: visited a heron rookery right in town; saw belted kingfishers chasing eachother; saw the first chipping sparrow of the season; heard spring peepers; saw wood ducks and green-winged teals and a palm warbler. And much more. I love spring!

Spring And A Young Frog's Fancy...

2006-03-31T19:58:00.000-08:00

More Frog Sex
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

turns to thoughts of love.

Here is a graphic depiction of frog sex. You can see the eggs being extruded by the female. When they first emerge there are in a black cluster with white spots. Over the course of the next hour or so the cluster loses the white spots and starts to look like the cluster on the right.

Here's a better view of the eggs "before and after".

The crocuses are up. There are never enough of them. They are such a treat after a long winter that you want to have hundreds of them. Remind me in the fall. And remind me again after I've planted a couple of hundred!

Photoshop Elements Experiment

2006-03-05T08:21:00.000-08:00

Sophie (retouched)
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

I scanned this photo of my aunt Sophie, taken in about 1905, and experimented with Photoshop Elements. I'm still pretty much a beginner at this, but the results are not bad. I got rid of most of the scratches and worn spots on the background. I can see that for people who like to do small, detailed work this might be addictive. You keep finding smaller and smaller defects that need to be corrected.

Now I have to learn more of the things you can do with Photoshop Elements. I can understand why people might take a class in this since there are so many things you can do with the program.

The photo shows Sophie as a very little girl, I'm guessing about age 3. Notice the short haircut. Sophie was always intolerant of people with lots of hair--either on the head or the face. Maybe this opinion started here!

I love the lace on her dress and the sparkle in her eyes.

Where I Have Been

2006-02-24T07:44:00.000-08:00

Found a site where you can click on all the countries of the world that you have visited and create a map. Here it is.

create your own visited countries map

I didn't include any countries where I had only been in the airport--countries like New Zealand and South Korea. But it is a bit misleading because it shows all of China when I've been to Hong Kong, Macao and a little bit of what used to be called Canton Provence. Same with Brazil where I've been to Rio.

You have to look very hard to see the small red dot off the coast of Madagascar that is Mauritius.

Here's the US map.

create your own visited states

Stash

2006-02-21T20:31:00.000-08:00

Stash
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

This is my stash. I have come to know that I am not alone in my addiction. No 12 Step programs for yarn fanatics. We just keep our secret stashes...and add to them.

I went to Knit Knite at Enchanting Yarns in Kent. (In the world of knitting blogs this is referred to as your "LYS" or local yarn store.) It was a blast. About 8 or 9 women--I was probably the oldest, but who cares. It was amazing how many were knitting socks. Two people were spinning silk which was fascinating to watch. One was using a spinning wheel and one a wooden bobbin. They'd hand-dyed the silk themselves.

I went into the stash and took out some wool that I had been aging and started a new pair of socks. I have enough of this yarn to do a sweater, but I guess socks are okay too. Once you've worn hand-made socks, there's no going back!

Blizzard of '06

2006-02-12T17:08:00.000-08:00

Blizzard of '06 II
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

Blizzard today. The people who supposedly know say that this is the second worst storm in New York since they started keeping records. You can't go by me. I'd swear I've seen worse as recently as 1996. But what do I know?

This shot is from the courtyard in my apartment building. The kids were delighted to run around in the snow. We older folks were glad to stay inside where it's warm and dry.

This strange faux topiary horse has made a recent appearance on Broadway. I have no idea what the story is here. It just is.

Head for the Hills!

2006-02-10T20:00:00.000-08:00

Head for the Hills!
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

I stopped at the bottom of Kent Hollow when I saw a large flock of turkeys. I got out to grab a few shots and soon they began scattering. "Run for cover! Head for the hills!" they seemed to be saying. But when I drove back about 15 minutes later, they were back in the same place serenely pecking at whatever it was in the grass that interested them.

Ben Franklin thought the wild turkey should be our national bird. Since I don't know what purpose a national bird has other than to grace our currency, I'm not sure how I feel about this. We nearly killed off the bald eagle, but at least we don't eat it!

Chattahoochee Nature Center

2006-01-19T20:50:00.000-08:00

Great Blue Heron
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

I went to Atlanta on business and found myself "shopped out" at the Gift Mart. My flight wasn't leaving until 3:30 PM so I rented a car and took myself to the Chattahoochee Nature Center about 30 miles north of Atlanta. It was a gray day so the lighting wasn't great, but there were some nice birds.

Here's a Great Blue Heron. No trick to taking a decent picture of a GBH (in England GBH means "grievous bodily harm"--but I digress) especially when they are standing still.

I saw a tree with interesting exfoliating bark. My neighbor in Connecticut always likes trees with exfoliating bark because they provide "winter interest." Every profession has its jargon!

Bow Bridge

2006-01-10T18:28:00.000-08:00

Bow Bridge
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

This is Bow Bridge across the Rowboat Lake in Central Park. Its lovely shape makes it so photogenic that it is hard to take a bad picture of it. It is one of the many things that makes those early morning birdwalks worthwhile even when you don't see any terrific birds. Olmsted and Vaux really knew what they were doing when they designed Central Park. I'm not convinced we've learned much about design since the mid-1800s. But that's for another post!

Dark & Deep

2006-01-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

Dark & Deep
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."

While it was in the 50s in New York and New Jersey today, it was winter in Connecticut earlier this week. In fact, it got down to 11 degrees in Kent on Friday night.

Whose woods these are, I definitely know. They belong the the White Memorial Foundation, a wildlife refuge of over 4600 acres in Litchfield County. While walking here I found pieces of what I believe is bark that had become translucent in the snow. Here's one piece.

The New Scanner

2006-01-08T20:32:00.000-08:00

Lee in 1933
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

Upon the advice of Cousin Dan, I invested $80 and bought a new scanner from Epson. I've been wanting to scan the old family photos, organize them and burn them to a CD to share with the family.

The scanner is easy to use, but I have a lot (read "everything") to learn about Photoshop Elements that comes with the scanner.

This photo is my father. It's dated 1933 on the back. I have no idea what beach he went to in December of 1933, not the Jersey Shore to be sure. He was in law school in 1933. Winter break perhaps? Where did Harvard boys go in those days? Where were Jewish Harvard boys even welcome in those days? We'll never know!

New Year's Day Birdwalk

2006-01-01T19:44:00.000-08:00

Cardinals
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

I always try to start the year off right with an extended birdwalk. Since I spent the day in New York, Central Park became my venue for the first walk of the year.

It was a gray day, but not very cold. Sometimes these January walks require stoicism and many stops in the cafe in the Boathouse, but today was fairly forgiving. The downside was that it wasn't a great day for photography because the colors were flat.

The highlights were the largest flock of cardinals I have ever seen--perhaps as many as 25--and the Great Horned Owl that has been hanging around Central Park for about 3 weeks.

The Great Horned is sometimes referred to at a "cat owl" because they look rather like a fat cat sitting in a tree. This one does at the top, but I have other shots where even his tail looks like a cat's tail. Allegedly, the Greated Horned can carry off a small cat, but I imagine Nicholas at 12 lbs. weighs too much. (See Monty Python and the Holy Grail for a discussion of whether a swallow can carry a coconut.) But I digress. I thought I was going to have to consult with other birdwatchers to find this critter, but he was way out in the open. I found a hawk, probably a red-tail, in a tree near the Point and when I went around the Oven to get a better look, I stumbled on the GHO. At one point the hawk, about 2/3 the size of the owl, flew into the same tree but quickly decided to beat a hasty retreat.

There were lots of ducks on the Jackie Onassis Reservoir--buffleheads, ruddies, hooded mergansers. Shovelers on the Rowboat Lake along with Canada geese, a cormorant and mallards.

The rest of the species were "the usual suspects": chickadees, titmice, goldfinches, downy and red-bellied woodpeckers, white-throated sparrows and one lovely fox sparrow.

The year is young--many species to go! And maybe some sunny days for better photographs.

Mine!

2005-12-25T17:58:00.000-08:00

Mine!
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

What is it about cats and boxes? I took the last of the bottles of seltzer out of this cardboard container and put it on the floor. It wasn't a whole minute before Nicholas sat himself in it and claimed it as his own. Perhaps it's the texture or just a chance to have some insulation between himself and the kitchen tiles. Or perhaps it is all about feng shui.

Go here to learn all about the art of box placement for cats. An excellent explanation of feng shui for cats.

Nicholas had a good Christmas/Chanukah. Although he himself is an animist, he approves of all celebrations that involve the receipt of gifts. He made out pretty well with four shopping bags of home-grown catnip, some treats, a couple of nifty toys and a lot of scratches behind the ear and under the chin.

Visitors

2005-12-06T18:03:00.000-08:00

Wren and Downy II
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

I hadn't been to Kent in two weeks and was glad to go there and refill the feeders. There was a threat of a nor'easter (which turned out to be a flop, at least in the Litchfield Hills) and the birds were stoking up.

I was excited to see the Carolina wren, back again from my last visit. We don't often get Carolina wrens in this part of the world, at least not in winter. The insect suet seemed to be the popular item for this little bird.

The photo was taken through the back door so there is glass between the camera and the birds. And, because it was overcast, the flash went off but didn't glare on the glass much. As a bonus the downy woodpecker is in the shot too on the Woodpecker log suet feeder, one of my two favorite feeders. (The Mobi Mesh Thistle Feeder is the other.)

Other birds seen:

American Crow
American Goldfinch
American Tree Sparrow
White-Throated Sparrow
Dark-Eyed Junco
Hairy Woodpecker
Red-Bellied Woodpecker (not much seen lately)
Mourning Dove
Tufted Titmouse
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Black-Capped Chickadee
Northern Cardinal
Northern Towhee (not a common visitor)
Common Grackle
Blue Jay
House Finch

Saw some Pine Siskins a few weeks ago, but they have been absent since. Looking for those irruptive finches--siskin, common redpoll, etc.

Take a Bow

2005-11-28T17:38:00.000-08:00

Take a Bow
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

Taking photos of birds requires patience, a virtue that for me is sometimes in short supply. It also takes some luck and, oh, having your camera adjusted properly. A combination of luck and skill can lead to some interesting results.

I got this photo of a black-capped chickadee that had grabbed a peanut. As luck would have it, I snapped him with his wings up. Looks like he's taking a big theatrical bow.

Then, with the camera set with too small an aperture, I somehow got this photo of a chickadee who looks like he's a ghost. It was daytime (although a gray day), not night, when I got this shot and I was able to lighten it enough so that you can see the detail pretty well.

The night before there was a big, gibbous moon, and I took this shot. The flash went off which illuminated the tree. Very spooky.

Day Off

2005-11-11T19:07:00.000-08:00

Chickadee, Central Park
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

I had the day off. It was Veteran's Day so I guess a lot of people were off, but it was just a regular day off for me since the store was open.

It was quite chilly, especially out of the sun which came and went throughout the day. But I went to Central Park with binoculars and camera.

The highlights were a flock of cedar waxwings at Tanner Springs, rusty blackbirds at the Azalea Pond and by Balcony Bridge, shovelers on the Reservoir and the cute chickadee at the top.

And, of course, there were the usual suspects--the squirrels.

Over all, a pleasant way to spend the afternoon.

Birdwalk in the Mist

2005-11-09T18:38:00.000-08:00

Walker Ave In the Mist
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

Sunday morning was very foggy. Visibility was under 25 feet when we left the store at 8 AM to head to Walker Avenue in Wayne in search of ducks. The parking lot was completely socked in. But our intrepid band was undeterred!

We arrived at Walker Avenue at aboout 8:20. On October 3rd it was so dry there that we were walking on what is normally the bed of a wetland. A week later following torrential rains, the water was so high that people were canoeing in the streets around the wetland. By Sunday it was just muddy on the paths as it often is. But the wetland was once again filled.

Looking for birds wasn't easy. The fog burned off a bit and we did see 24 species the best of which was a marsh wren in, yes, a marsh! We also saw cedar waxwings eating berries in a tree. Cedar waxwings are among my favorite birds.

The place was eerily beautiful.

We saw lots of pretty spider webs that were wet with moisture from the mist which made them much more visible. Here's one.

Fall is the most beautiful season in the Northeast. Even on a foggy day.

Burning Bush

2005-11-08T21:12:00.000-08:00

Burning Bush
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

Fall came very late this fall in Connecticut, a combination of a dry summer and a rainy October. This burning bush, usual leafless by November, was at its peak when I took this shot on November 5th.

We plant burning bush for the two weeks when it is in its glory. It also gets little berries that the birds seem to like. Lots of juncos hide out here.

Punkins III

2005-10-30T19:16:00.000-08:00

Punkins III
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

Drove up to Kent on Sunday with a friend and visited Averill Farms, an apple orchard. They had lots of pumpkins for sale.

The place was really hopping because of the great weather. The weather has been terrible all month. When at last the sun came out, all the leaf-peepers came roaring in with a vengance. Personally, I was delighted for all the business owners.

Gnarled Tree

2005-10-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

Tree--Central Park
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

Central Park on a drizzly day. The colors were very subdued. I found this gnarled tree. I've probably passed it 100 times since it's alongside the azalea pond, but this was the first time I noticed it. It really looks like something out of a fairy tale or Lord of the Rings. Perhaps it is an ent.

Or maybe squirrels live inside. Like this bad boy.

The Gill is a stream with many small waterfalls that runs through the Ramble in Central Park. Every waterway in the Park can be turned on and off by the Parks Department. There are no natural streams left. It's all artifice. Frederic Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux managed to make artifice beautiful.

The Sphinx

2005-10-12T16:39:00.000-07:00

The Sphinx
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

I ordered a cat tree for Sir Nicholas. I've wanted him to have a high perch for a long time, but my cheapness made me shop around. Found a good company on line and put in the order. They ship from Connecticut so I got the tree the next day.

Nick enjoyed the box the cat tree came in.

I put the thing together--mostly easy except for the hammock which after a struggle I managed to install. I'm bringing the power drill home and redoing it tomorrow because I don't like how it came out. But the verdict from Nicholas is that the cat tree rocks. He posed on the top in his Sphinx posture.

I also discovered a company called Katwallks that has a hysterical video of their product, a series of cat ramps that you hang on your walls, in action. But that's for another day!

Gorgeous Day

2005-09-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

White Memorial
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

A photo just can't describe what a beautiful day we had on Thursday, September 22nd, in Litchfield County, CT. The weather was dry, cloudless and in the seventies. Just being outside made you feel good.

I went to the White Memorial Foundation, a 4600 acre wildlife preserve around Bantam Lake. There's a wetland called Little Pond with a boardwalk. It was a slow birdwatching day, at least in the afternoon when I went out, but the walk was glorious. I did see a great blue heron perched in a tree, a northern mockingbird, a black-throated green warbler and a hawk (likely a female red-tail) that flew right across the path at a mere five feet off the ground.

As you can see, very few of the trees had started to turn although noticeably more are turning today than yesterday. But fall is on the way. This wooly bear caterpillar was my first of the season.

Nicholas enjoyed watching some birds at home.

Averill Farms

2005-09-19T19:07:00.000-07:00

Averill Farms
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

It's apple season in Connecticut. This means visiting Averill Farms in Washington, CT, each week. Averill has been around since 1746. They have some heirloom trees that produce very rare apples. They have all the usual ones--Macs and Macouns and Romes, etc. But they have some unusual varieties too like Harcross. Each week as the fruit ripens, there are different varieties available.

I buy pie apples--tart and firm (just like me!) and make sauce out of any extras. I've decided that a mix of apples works best--Greenings, Harcross and Gravenstein this last time. I don't pick my own since they have plenty of good choices at the farmstand.

The farm is sometimes a good place for birdwatching. Bluebirds frequent the orchard. They eat insects and, according to one of the Averills, even though they eat a few apples, they save more fruit than they eat so the orchard is dotted with bluebird boxes.

It's tough to make a living growing and selling fruit so I really appreciate what these folks have done for the last 259 years.

Fog in the Valley

2005-09-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

Fog in the Valley
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

Took this photo on my way to NJ from Kent. Below this cloud is the valley and a pond. Beyond the fence is a mowed field that is often inhabited by wild turkeys, the bird that Ben Franklin thought should be our national bird. And just down the road are black cows with white stripes down their backs. Since I don't know what type of cows they are, I call them "skunk cows" because that's what they resemble.

Tune in for fall colors which are just beginning to show.

Is He Wily?

2005-09-06T19:33:00.000-07:00

Coyote I
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

I was enjoying a lovely day in Kent. Nicholas and I were sitting in the screen porch when he suddenly became alert and moved to the screen in the center. I looked up and saw this coyote up near the pool. Grabbed the camera and went up that way and got this shot of him near the fence.

This is allegedly a young coyote and he apparently had been hit by a car. One of his hind legs was injured, but he has made a pretty good recovery. He can move swiftly and quietly. He hangs around Kent Hollow because there are crab apples, small game, roadkill and the occasional kielbasa courtesy of Walter next door.

Here's the same coyote in my front yard. He (or is it "she") thought he was going to take a nap in my front yard, but when I came out with my camera, he trotted away.

One more good reason for the cat to stay indoors. Here he is watching the feeders and looking out for "our" coyote. BTW since finding out that roadrunners eat hummingbirds, all my sympathy has been with the Coyote.

Praying Mantis

2005-09-02T18:57:00.000-07:00

Praying Mantis
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

I arrived at the store early the other day to find that two praying mantises were gracing the front of my store. This one was on the window and another was on the masonry below.

This guys are big! They are also vicious if you're an insect or the mantis's mate. But they do eat a lot of insects which is generally good and they are interesting to look at.

You never know what you're going to see if you keep your eyes open! Twenty minutes after I arrived the mantises left.

James Fenimore Cooper

2005-08-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

James Fenimore Cooper
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

I visited Cooperstown, NY, this weekend. The town was founded by William Cooper, the father of the author James Fenimore Cooper who is shown in this photo.

The town is probably most famous as the home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. It's allegedly the place where baseball was invented, if you believe Abner Doubleday, which I don't. It's a beautiful town at the southern end of Lake Otsego. Since most of the land around the lake is in a trust, it can never be developed leaving the lake pristine and quiet.

You Say "Tomato"

2005-08-18T17:58:00.000-07:00

Tomatoes3
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

Summer is winding down which means that the tomatoes are beginning to ripen on the vine. Mostly I grow plum tomatoes and spend much of my free time in September making red sauce. But I grow a few cherry tomatoes and usually one heirloom beefsteak for the salad eaters. This shot shows plums and a very yellow small beefsteak. I like the small ones because I usually can't use all of a giant tomato which means wrapping it up and putting in the refrigerator so that I can throw it out later in the week.

The sunflowers haven't opened yet at my house. We got a late start this spring because it was cold and rainy so the warm-weather plants had to wait to go in. The birds will have to wait, I guess. They get enough seed from my feeder to keep them well fed so I'm not worrying. And the sunbuttons are in bloom and will start producing seed in the next week or so. The goldfinches will appreciate that.

Lena (restored) and a Joke

2005-08-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

Lena (restored)
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

I posted a tattered photo of my paternal grandmother, Alexandra Langer Epstein (called "Lena" in the US) on flickr and someone with skills at photo touch-up and restoration fixed it up. This reminded me of a joke that Buddy Hackett told years ago on the Tonight Show:

An elderly lady climbs the stairs to a shop where photos are restored. She shows the owner a old sepia photo of her late husband. (Imagine she has a Yiddish accent--it has nothing to do with the story, it's just funnier that way.) "I have this picture of mine late 'usband. It's a bit tattered. You can fix?"

"Surely, madam," the owner replies.

"You'll notice he's wearing a double-breasted suit. No one wears a suit like that anymore. You can change?"

"Yes, madam."

"And you'll notice he's wearing a derby 'at. Can you take that away? No one wears a derby hat anymore."

"Yes, madam. How did your husband wear his hair?"

"You'll take off the hat and see!"

The guy who restored the photo didn't find this joke particularly funny. I guess that's what makes comedy complicated!

Family Portrait

2005-08-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

Epstein Family Portrait
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

This is a photo of my paternal grandparents and my aunt taken around 1905. I've begun fooling around with taking digital photos of the old family photos so that I can save them on the Internet. I had visions of scanning them into the computer, but taking photos of photos is easier. (This one needs to be flattened to improve the lower right corner, but over all I'm pleased with the results.)

My grandmother, Alexandra in the old country and Lena in America, came from Kotel Nich, a town in northern Russia along the Volga River. She was one of five daughters and one son in a town with only a handful of Jewish families. There weren't enough eligible bachelors for all of those girls so the choice was to move to Moscow or emigrate to America. I am eternally grateful to my great-grandfather for making the right decision! They came to America circa 1890.

My grandfather, one of 17 children (16 by the same mother!) came to America from Bialystok, Poland, around 1900. He and my grandmother were fixed up by a Singer sewing machine salesman who my grandfather knew in the old country.

When my grandparents married, one of my grandmother's sisters came to live with them. I don't think they were without some relative in residence for years. As each sister married, another single one came to live with them. Weddings were held in the warehouse where my grandfather, who was a candy wholesaler, stored his stock. My grandparents lived above the warehouse. My aunt told me that they covered the boxes with sheets, did some decorating, brought in tables and chairs and held the wedding. She remembered sitting on a fireplace mantle with her cousin Sylvia watching the wedding of one of her aunts. Great aunt Rachel married my grandfather's brother Sam giving us "double cousins".

Country Life

2005-08-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

Sphinx Moth II
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

I had two days off in Connecticut. At long last the pool was in swimmable condition, and it was hot enough to make a dip enjoyable. The pool skimmer had lots of frogs, both dead and alive, in it. Mostly leopard frogs--small ones with spots.

Nature was making itself obvious. Tree frogs were singing all night. It was loud, a regular nocturnal chorus. And some critter, probably a raccoon tried to get on the birdfeeders. I heard something that sounded like water dripping on the squirrel baffle. I turned on the light, but the critter had disappeared. The feeders and the baffle were swaying slightly. In the morning I found the birdbath on its side on the ground. I'm glad I finally got a metal bath!

This photo is of a sphinx moth. Notice that its tail looks like the tail of a lobster. Gotta conserve those genes and not redesign everything! (Isn't evolution much more fascinating than creation "science"?) When these moths fly by they are often mistaken for hummingbirds even though they are somewhat smaller. As a result they are often called hummingbird moths. They like to sip nectar from flowers just like the hummers. Of course, the spicebush swallowtail butterflies also seemed to be devoted to the phlox too.

Nicholas enjoyed our stay. He spent a lot of time looking out the door or in the screen porch where he enjoyed the birds, the squirrels and the chipmunks.

Bagel, Lox and Cream Cheese

2005-08-02T18:35:00.000-07:00

Bagel & Lox
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

This rather 50's-looking photo is a picture of tonight's dinner. I got home late from work and didn't feel like cooking. I had some great smoked salmon in the fridge and thought, "Why not have breakfast for dinner?" The glass contains seltzer, a staple of my diet. I added a few baby carrots and--Voila! Dinner.

For the curious, the bagel was an "everything" bagel. That is, one with salt, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, onions and garlic. It's a sort of end of the kitchen thing. And I like cracked pepper on my salmon, thank you. A square of very fancy dark chocolate and some cherries capped off the meal.

I'll probably repeat the bagel, lox and cream cheese thing tomorrow at breakfast. Life is good.

Flora and Fauna

2005-07-28T19:04:00.000-07:00

Bougainvillea II
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

Last week I spent a few days in Orange County, CA. The flora is totally different there than back East. Some of the fauna is as well although mourning doves and house finches, like the poor, are always with us. In fact, when I arrived in Mauritius in April, halfway around the world, the first bird that greeted me was the house sparrow.

Warmer climes favor bougainvillea. It's one of my favorites, and since it is absolutely absent in my part of the world, it's always a pleasure to see it when I travel. Laguna Beach also has the most abundant morning glories I've ever seen. They cover walls, fences and the ground and produce huge blue flowers. I find morning glories hard to start--gotta soak the seeds and only about half the ones that germinate ever take hold. Once started they can take off, but I've never gotten them to Orange County size. Of course, we have monumental trees here and far fewer wildfires. That's what makes traveling so much fun (aside from seeing the loved ones). New things to see, photograph and study.

New life birds on this trip--California quail and hooded oriole.

Sibling Rivalry

2005-07-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

Patric in Sink
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

I visited the bro' and his family in Laguna Beach, CA, this week and had a blast. But I kept feeling a little sorry for this fellow, Patric (no "k", please). He used to rule the roost from his post on the upstairs deck. But then this adorable, but rather energetic newcomer arrived.

Patric finds Charlie overbearing. He is. He's still young, a little wild and not as polite as he might be. He eats anything, runs amok and is easily excited. Patric now makes his home downstairs where the deck is off limits to him so he spends much of his time in the bathroom sink. Notice how he color coordinates with the tile.

Alas, Pat doesn't get as much attention as he used to because he's often downstairs when the family is upstairs. Well, he's still handsome and kissable. Perhaps he and Charlie will make their peace someday.

A la recherche du temps perdu

2005-07-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

Caught in the Act
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

Today I saw something scrawled on the condensation on a window in midtown New York. It appeared to say "Dumas". This got me to thinking, not about The Count of Monte Cristo (a topic for another posting), but about things from my past that are sadly lost.

Dumas was the name of a bakery across Lexington Avenue from the house I grew up in. This was a genuine French bakery known especially for its fruit tarts. At Christmas demand was so great that they borrowed a double-decker bus belonging to a downtown French restaurant. Orders for people whose last names started with A to M were picked up inside the store while N to Z picked up theirs in the bus. We didn't buy much from Dumas since it was pricey, and there were plenty of other bakeries in our neighborhood at the time. But later the owners opened up a new branch in the upper 50's near Bloomingdale's, near to where I worked. There I learned the delights of noisettes chocolate. These wonderful cookies were chocolate meringue loaded with hazelnuts. They were wildly expensive ($6 a pound but it was 1974), but since the meringue was light, there were a lot of cookies in a pound. Boy, where these good! Alas, ultimately both branches of Dumas closed and the fruit tarts and the noisettes chocolate have been relegated to memory.

And as long as we are reminiscing about bakery items, I sorely miss the prune danishes from the Royale Bakery on West 72nd Street. It's hard to find a decent prune danish anywhere in New York these days. It's just another sign that the end of civilization is nigh!

And as for the photo, it has nothing to do with the post, but since I didn't have a shot of a hazelnut meringue, I thought I'd post this little ruby-throated hummingbird.

Hollyhock

2005-07-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

Hollyhock
Originally uploaded by PhoebeJ.

It's high summer in Kent, CT, and the hollyhocks are in bloom. The bees are thrilled and so am I. Hollyhocks are considered "old-fashioned." There was a time when every home had hollyhocks by the door in summer as a sign of welcome. I like them because, aside from being beautiful, they are absolutely no work once they get established. They grow very tall, spread out and bloom for weeks. My kind of gardening.

The tomatoes are coming along. Just a few plants this year: plum tomatoes for red sauce and an heirloom for color and flavor. It seems such a long time between when the flowers blossom and the fruit is ripe. I'll just have to be patient. There are so many risks in the intervening weeks: bugs, animals, too much rain, too little rain. Oy. In September I hope to be making a lot of sauce. The freezer is empty in anticipation.

The yard was full of birds this week. Periodically a whole slew of house finches flew in chattering and singing. There are lots of immature birds. Some are old enough to feed themselves, although they still hang out in sort of a family group, but some are still fluttering their wings and chirping and demanding to be feed--mostly by their fathers. Good to know that in the bird world some dads contribute to child-rearing.

Also on the list of immatures: downy woodpeckers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, chipping sparrows and one hairy woodpecker. There are probably more immatures, but sometimes it's hard to know who's immature and who's not. Saw four kinds of woodpeckers out of a possible six: downy, hairy, red-bellied, flicker. I'd love to find that pileated again...but that's another entry.

Downy Woodpecker

2005-07-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

I decided to start this blog because 1) I'm jealous of my sister-in-law who has a great blog (click here); and 2) I wanted a venue for my photos other than my flickr page. I think by showing them in this blog I'll be able to tell more about them than on flickr which is more of a list than a blog.

So here goes.

This photo is of a downy woodpecker taken on my "tail-prop" suet feeder. As you can see from the photo, the woodpecker props his tail on the wood using it like a third leg. When you see woodpeckers in a tree, they are often propped against the trunk in just this manner. Tail-prop feeders are very attractive to woodpeckers because they can feed in a more natural position. Of course, other birds can use this feeder, but most other birds perch on the suet cage and lean over to get the food.

I posted this photo on flickr with the heading "Downy Woodpecker" and immediately got people telling me that it is a hairy woodpecker. No way! Hairies look a lot like downies, but they are much larger and their bills are about as long as their heads are wide. This particular downy doesn't show many little feathers around his bill. (It is a "he" since you can see part of the red spot on the back of his head.) Perhaps the feathers are stuck to his face with suet, maybe he's a bit bald. But the lack of "down" on his face makes his bill look longer than normal thus the controvery. I've promised to measure the distance between the suet baskets to show that this guy is is closer to 6.5 inches rather than the 9.5 that is typical of a hairy
woodpecker.

I may not be an expert, but I know my downies! I was pleased that a number of people who posted allowed as how I got the last vote since I was the one who saw the bird. But I didn't realize that I could start an internet controversy merely by posting a photo of a little bird! The joys of modern technology!