Things to Smile About

Happy Baby
Here is Granddaughter Sydney after a stroller ride with DS Dad.

This is my new desktop photo.

Just a little over a week before Granddaughter Kimmy and I get on a plane and head out to Idaho to see some of these smiles in person.

Bluebird Eggs
Sunday evening in the triple digit heat, I noticed Mom Bluebird peeking out of the nest box. Thought it was rather strange, especially in the heat.

Early Monday morning when the dogs and I walked by, she was still peeking out of the nest box. When I said "Good morning" to her, she flew out so I looked in to see what was going on.

A third brood! I didn't know they ever did three broods in a year and I didn't think they would do one this late in the season.

Certainly something to smile about.

Colorful Flowers
Black-eyed Susans, one of my favorite wildflowers, are blooming in the field where we walk the dogs.

They're such a happy flower. They make me smile.

Free yarn!
This is the Knitpicks Essentials sock yarn I won in the Six Sock Knitalong CIC drawing. The color is dusk, a medium heathery grayish blue.

The skeins are soft. The yarn seems to be very nice and I'm looking forward to getting it on the needles. There won't be a final review until I've worn and washed the resulting socks a few times.

Guess that means I'd better knit them for myself. Smile.

The Heat Wave is Almost Over
The thunderstorms blowing into the area are bringing a cold front. Temps in the mid 70s tomorrow.

Sunny and I are going to a doggy school picnic at Lake Michigan to celebrate. We're hanging around to watch the sun set over the lake - and I'm bringing a sweater.

Weather Whine, Part II

The National Weather Service gives the most pessimistic and depressing forecasts. I guess that's their job, to warn us of the worse that can happen.

Yesterday's weather was much better than predicted.

Yes, there were thunderstorms Saturday night and Sunday morning, but we didn't get the high winds, hail, and flooding.

Yes, it was very hot (temp hit 96, heat index hit 110) and humid Sunday, but there was a little breeze and we were comfortable reading in front of the fan with nice cold drinks and some ice cream.

In the early evening, just as we were thinking the weather wasn't so bad after all, everything got very quiet as the power grid went out. The fans stopped spinning, the refrigerator stopped cooling, and (we have well water) the faucets stopped working, and the toilet stopped flushing. It was immediately miserable.

We were toward the east edge of the outage which extended to Lake Michigan, about 40 miles west of us, and lasted 5 hours.

We were just complaining commenting about the slow response of the power company when things started humming again. We immediately stopped talking and jumped in front of a fan.

Enough weather whining. I'm all done weather whining as long as the power stays on and my flight out of here (August 3) doesn't get cancelled. Before I stop, though, I have to say: July has not been a pleasant month this year. Is it August yet?

Weather Whine

Where we live in SW Michigan, the weather is normally very variable. If something ugly happens, like a heat wave or a super cold spell, we deal with it and expect the weather to change in a few days.

When we have temperatures in the 90s, a thunderstorm normally brings in cooler air. After a thunderstorm we expect to be back to pleasant temperatures. Maybe even chilly temperatures.

If you've been following my weather whinings, you know that things have not been normal this July. We've had temperatures in the "hot", "hotter", or "way too hot" range every day and thunderstorms almost every evening. With very high humidity.

Today was only "hot". It stayed in the mid 80s and was comfortable outside as long as we weren't being active. And now, because I couldn't say it better, here is the National Weather Service forecast for this evening:

A STRONG WARM FRONT WILL PUSH TOWARD LOWER MICHIGAN TONIGHT. AHEAD OF THAT WARM FRONT...A LARGE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM WISCONSIN AND WESTERN UPPER MICHIGAN WILL BE MOVING SOUTHEAST AROUND 50 MPH TOWARD LOWER MICHIGAN AROUND SUNSET.

DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 70 MPH AND LARGE HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM THE STRONGEST OF THESE STORMS. IN ADDITION...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTING WILL ACCOMPANY THESE THUNDERSTORMS.

ALSO...LOCALLY TORRENTIAL RAIN...PERHAPS IN EXCESS OF 2 INCHES COULD LEAD TO SOME URBAN AND POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING ALONG WITH RAPID RISES ON SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS.

So, what does it mean when it's 85 degrees and a warm front moves in?

THE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE OUT OF THE AREA BY 9 OR 10 AM ON SUNDAY. THEN POSSIBLY THE HOTTEST AIR SINCE JULY 29TH OF 1999 MAY OVERSPREAD THE AREA.

... COULD RESULT IN HEAT INDEX VALUES NEAR 105 DEGREES. A HEAT ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED.

I'm starting to hear the rumble of thunder in the distance. Time to unplug my laptop again.

Knitting Log for July 22

One skein of Elegance knit, 17 to go on the Hanover jacket from Jean Frost Jackets.

The design has a leaf motif in the center of the back. That's the one you're seeing in the picture. It has additional leaf motifs on the bottom of both front pieces and the bottom of both sleeves.

The first skein knit about five inches of the back. When the skein ran out of yarn, I took a picture and switched my knitting efforts over to the sock.

The More Fun Than Cables sock is almost ready to have the heel turned.

I'm hoping this sock will be done this weekend so I'll be ready to start the test knit of the second sock.

For now I'm ignoring The Unplanned Scarf to concentrate on the socks and the Hanover jacket, but there may be a new distraction if the Knitpicks sock yarn I won in the Six Sox CIC Drawing arrives tomorrow.

I've been thinking of this sock pattern as More Fun Than Cables for several months now. It's a descriptive name since the little faux cables are more fun to knit than cables, and quicker, too.

But I admit to not being very good at naming patterns.

Any other suggestions?

For the past several days my hit counter has been elevated. When that happens there is usually a good reason. Sometimes I find out who linked to Stitches of Violet, and sometimes it stays a mystery.

Thanks to Linda, an Opal Chatters List friend, I learned that the Threadbear newsletter posted a link to:

Basketweave Socks--perfect in Opal Handpaint, which is what the original is shown in. Basketweave Ribbing Sock Pattern

Since I've never been to this yarn store, ordered from this yarn store, or even subscribed to their newsletter, I was a little surprised. But it was a good surprise. How can it not be good to have so many knitters visiting?

Welcome.

Thursday Tidbits for July 21

Humidity Looks Like This
After taking the dogs for their morning walk, I grabbed the camera and went back out by myself to take some pictures of the humidity. You know it's humid when you can actually see the moisture in the air.

The sun is trying to shine through (upper left), but the air is so full of moisture that it appears we're living in a cloud.

Late yesterday afternoon we had a thunderstorm. Again. This weather pattern has been going on for weeks now. Hot and humid in the daytime and thunderstorms late in the day.

The power usually goes out for some people in the area. We've had our turn. Yesterday was something a little different, though. There was a flash of lightening, the phone rang very strangely to accompany the thunder, and that was the end of our phone service for the rest of the day.

Storm Damage
Since we live in a very wooded area, it's best to be inside when the storms blow in.

Branches blow down, power lines go down, and lightening hits where ever it pleases.

This large willow branch fell right across the creek. It's almost big enough to use for a bridge.

The soft willow wood is not good for much except a nice outdoor bonfire. Fortunately we live in an area where it's OK to burn, except on rare occasions when there hasn't been enough rain and the township puts out a fire ban. At the moment we have the opposite conditions. Everything is too wet to burn.

House Built of Sticks
About three weeks ago when I went to clean out the nest box used by the tree swallows, I found it full of sticks. A wren nest.

Male wrens put sticks in multiple nesting sites and let the female choose the one she likes best. I've had the sticks before, but never had a nest box be the chosen place.

Usually I make a note on what date I found the sticks. Then, after a few weeks of no activity, I empty the box out.

This time, however, there was activity. Wrens sitting on the box and wrens going in and out of the box.

This misty morning, I was able to catch a picture of one of the parents sitting on the roof with hatching food in its mouth.

How pleased I am to provide a nest box for the chattery little wrens. Sure wish I could look inside.

It's not possible to open the front flap to monitor the nest without destroying the structure of the nest, so I'm just watching from afar.

Last Garnet Picture

Here's the finished Lavold sweater. It started out as a pattern, Garnet from the Lavold Sentimental Journey Collection, picture here. Then I made so many changes that the only parts resembling the original pattern are the basketweave stitch and the lace up the front.

For anyone interested, changes and reasons for changes have been detailed here, here, here, here, and here.

The yarn is Lavold Silky Tweed, 40% silk, 30% cotton, 20% merino, and 10% viscose. It wasn't pleasant to knit. It split, hurt my hands, and was costly.

If it hadn't been for the costly part, this sweater would have found it's way into the never-never finish bin where I store unfinished projects for a minimum of five years before tossing them out. Occasionally I reclaim the yarn, but this sweater would not have qualified for that effort.

The yarn was/is very pretty. Its beauty is what caused its impulse purchase at the yarn store. Now that the sweater is done, I will wear and enjoy it and remember that I don't want to knit with Lavold Silky Tweed again.

So, if this sweater is finally done, why aren't I smiling in the picture?

Because it was 90+ degrees and humid. The energy needed to create a smile would have resulted in serious sweat.

Also, because the neckline is too big. When I wear a warm sweater, I want it snuggly up to my neck. Or, in other words, the sweater isn't really done. I will be un-casting off the neckline and adding to the neck ribbing. Sigh.

Do I sound a little grumpy today? It's hot and humid again and I'm about ready to go sit in front of the fan and read the new Harry Potter.

There. That made me smile.

Which Knitting Do I Pick Up Today?

First, The Weather
It's hot (82 F, 28 C), humid (72%), and hazy. The heat index is 87 F/31 C. Cooler than it has been, but we're worn down by the constant damp heat so it feels hotter. And, tomorrow it is going to be back in the 90s.

Thunderstorms predicted - all last week, tonight, tomorrow, and on into the future.

Knitpicks Order Arrived
Yesterday the Knitpicks package arrived with 18 skeins of Elegance in Barn Red for knitting the Hanover sweater in Jean Frost Jackets.

I immediately put down Harry Potter #4 and knit up a swatch on #3 needles, one size lower than the pattern. Still need to wash it before the final verdict on needle size. The #4 swatch was too big, so I think I've got it nailed now.

The big question that needs answering is: Am I going to cast on this jacket before finishing The Unplanned Scarf? It would be wise to finish the scarf first so I don't end up with The Unplanned/Unfinished Scarf.

Knitpicks did send the last skein of Andean Treasure for the The Unplanned Scarf in the dye lot I requested. There was no indication if they made an extra effort to accommodate my lack of foresight or if it just happened. Whichever it was, I am greateful.

CIC Socks
One more Chutes and Ladders pair of CIC socks done.

This is red, sport weight Brown Sheep Nature Spun knit along with sock weight Lorna's Laces Flame. The socks aren't beautiful, but they're colorful and warm.

If I knit one more pair of Chutes and Ladders for CIC, I would earn another entry in the Six Sox CIC Drawing for some of Knitpicks new solid color sock yarn.

It isn't going to happen. My Chutes and Ladders attention span has been exceeded, and I'm ready to knit a different stitch pattern.

These socks haven't been washed and blocked yet.

The Six Sox CIC Drawing is resulting in dozens of nice, warm, wool socks for the kids. Some of the knitters are learning about CIC for the first time and I hope they will continue their CIC knitting when the drawing is over.

The first week's winners have received their prize yarn and report it is soft, pretty, 75% wool, 25% nylon. I'm planning to buy some as soon as possible. Why? Because I really need some more sock yarn? Of course!

More CIC Socks
Even before finishing the first adult More Fun Than Cables Sock, I started a smaller version for CIC.

The adult More Fun Than Cables Sock has a 16 stitch pattern repeat. If I don't stagger the cables, there's an 8 stitch repeat. Even 8 stitches is pushing it for a little 28 to 32 stitch CIC sock, so I reduced the faux cable to two stitches (from four) and removed the non-cabled rib.

Now I have More Fun Than Cables for CIC on 30 stitches with a six stitch repeat.

I think it's cute, but who knows for sure? The yarn is so busy I can hardly see the stitch pattern - and I know what it's supposed to be.

They're knitting up quick, so I won't mind knitting another pair in a solid color to photo with the pattern. When I do, that will complete my six pair summer CIC goal and I'll be caught up on my one-pair-a month 2005 CIC sock goal.

Meanwhile, my apologies for the picture not showing the stitch pattern.

Knitting Log for July 14

First, The Weather
It's hot, muggy, lazy weather with thunderstorms in the evening. That has been the weather since Monday, that is the weather for today, and that is the forecast for the next five days.

It works as the perfect rationalization for getting on line early in the day instead of doing housework. After all, the past two evenings have resulted in lightening and loss of power. It could happen again. Better to have posted than to have vacuumed. Don't you agree?

Lavold Sweater
The Lavold sweater is finally done, washed, and is drying. Picture soon.

New Sock Pattern
This sock pattern has been in my head for months. It's a pleasure to get it on the needles and have it turn out even better than I'd hoped.

I'm calling it More Fun than Cables, which describes the knitting process.

The little crosses are made with double wrapped knit stitches from the previous row.

Real cables pull in and require extra stitches. The little cross over stitches in this stitch pattern result in a nice fabric with no pulling in. The sock fits with the same number of stitches a person would normally use for a sock cuff.

It is a fun stitch pattern to knit. Easy to memorize and no awkwardness once the knitter gets the rhythm of the crossovers.

The yarn is Opal UNI-Solid color #29. I think the socks would also look great in a variegated yarn with short repeats, like Opal Handpainted.

Yes, I'll be posting the pattern for these socks soon. Since I'm having so much fun knitting them, I may do a worsted weight, toddler size version for CIC, too.

The Unplanned Scarf
Looking at this picture makes me want to reach out and smooth the right side of the leaf motif. It really is as nicely designed and knit as the left side of the leaf, just in need of blocking.

This is 18 inches of scarf, the amount I was able to knit with one skein of Andean Treasure, color Lagoon. I have a second skein, but I'm anxiously waiting for my Knitpicks order containing a third skein before proceeding.

The order was shipped Tuesday afternoon by "Best Way and will arrive in 5-14 calendar days."

I'm guessing the yarn will arrive on Saturday with my copy of the new Harry Potter.

Christmas in July.

Harry Potter
In preparation for the arrival of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, I've started reading the two previous Harry Potter books.

I had forgotten how enjoyable the Harry Potter books are to read. I refuse to rush through them, so I'm not going to be ready to start the new book on Saturday unless I do a reading marathon between now and then. Unlikely.

If I was still working full time, reading the HP books would have been carefully scheduled and I would be finishing them just as the new book arrived.

Life is less planned now. I think it's a good thing. But sometimes I wonder.

Where Am I?

It's hot, muggy, and lazy weather.

Yesterday afternoon and evening we were having thunderstorms, so I unplugged my laptop and started re-reading Harry Potter 4 in preparation for the big day on Saturday.

This evening I was uploading a picture of the sock I'm knitting and the power went out. Have no idea why or for how long. I'm writing this on battery, and need to log off before I have no battery left.

Hopefully, if the weather and Consumer's Power will cooperate, I'll have a regular size post tomorrow.

Sunday Snippets for July 10

Yikes! Where is this month going? Where ever it's headed, it's one third of the way there already. Yikes!

Knitpicks Order
I kept knitting on the scarf I didn't intend to knit, the one with the pretty leaf motif where I was just trying out the stitch pattern. By the end of the first skein, I had 18 inches and declared the scarf a keeper.

Since I only have one more skein of yarn, that will make the scarf 36 inches. That's long enough for a dressy, pretty scarf, but not as long as I would like, so I ordered another skein. If I get the same dyelot (I requested it), or if the new dyelot matches, I'll have a 54 inch scarf.

After several days of indecision, I ordered 18 skeins of barn red Elegance to knit Hanover from Jean Frost Jackets with the same leaf motif and shadow ribbing as the scarf. I'm looking forward to getting it started.

Comments
Haloscan, the commenting software used on this blog, has been having server problems for the past month or so.

The comment counter at the end of each post is not accurate. There are more comments than the counter indicates.

They say they're going to have this problem fixed soon. Evidently "soon" means weeks or even months, obviously not hours.

Halascan is free with ads. I pay a small fee to have comments without ads. I'd be willing to pay a little more for a reliable service. Here's hoping the comments are tallying up correctly soon.

Greenfield Village Pictures
The selected pictures from our day at Greenfield Village are here.

Beep Beep! Splash Splash!

Granddaughter Kimmy and I have been having summer fun this week. The weather has been perfect, not too hot and not too cool. Things have pretty much gone as planned on both our trips. We didn't forget anything important, and we enjoyed our destinations and each other's company. It's been great.

Early Wednesday morning we climbed on a tour bus for Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village.

There was way too much to see and do in one day, so we did what we wanted. We spent the entire day in Greenfield Village and never made it to the museum.

We're sorry we missed the museum, but we wouldn't have wanted to miss anything that we did see and do, so no regrets.

Just a few of the things we did:

• Took a ride around the village in a Model T. That's us, sitting in the back seat.
  
• Cruised around a scenic lagoon in the paddle wheel steamboat Suwanee.
  
• Hopped rides on the 1930 Model AA shuttle bus.
  
• Rode on horse drawn carriages as we went from place to place in the village.
  
• Rode a train pulled by a historic steam engine. What a "blast".

Kimmy's favorite ride was the 1913 Herschell-Spillman restored carousel.

We came back to this one over and over again.

Once I get them uploaded, there will be pictures of more of the carousel detail in a Picturetrail album.. Lord willing, the pictures will be online this weekend. (I have dialup and it's painfully slow.)

There will also be other Greenfield Village pictures in the album. I'll post a link for anyone who wants to look.

Thursday we sent to the Lake Michigan beach at South Haven. Kimmy spent three hours in the water swimming, playing, and doing handstands.

I sat on the beach, rubbed on sun screen, and occasionally handed out money for a drink or some ice cream. So why am I so exhausted today?

Kimmy is home now, and I spent the day in quiet serenity. First thing this morning I finished my second pair of Chutes and Ladders socks for the Six Sock Knitalong CIC drawing held this afternoon.

I didn't win, but it feels good to have the socks finished. Three and a half pair of my six pair goal are done now.

Trying Out the Stitches

One way to answer the question "If I knit the Jean Frost Hanover Jacket, is the shadow rib going to bore me to tears?" is to try knitting some shadow rib.

So I cast on with my Knitpicks Andean Treasure, a sport weight, heathery baby alpaca, and started knitting on a scarf using the stitch patterns from the Hanover Jacket.

And the verdict is: The shadow rib flows off the needles in a nice rhythm.

I'm ready to order 18 skeins of Elegance to knit the jacket.

The leaf motif was fun to knit. Now I'm wondering if I can knit a second one and join the pieces together to make a scarf. Any advice on a good way to join ribbing?

This is not a well planned project. I don't know how to join the pieces and I don't have enough Andean Treasure.

What are the chances I can get another skein in this dyelot? Not sure. Maybe I can make a Seaman's Scarf and it won't matter (so much) if the ribbed center is a different dye lot. Depends on how close it matches. I'm pretty fussy about such things.

I may end up just calling this an experiment and frogging it. But it was a good experiment and I'm glad I did it.

Heading Out of Town

Today I drove to Battle Creek and picked up Granddaughter Kimmy.

Early, way too early, tomorrow morning we're getting on a bus for a day trip to Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, about a two and a half hour drive across the state.

As I kissed her good night, she warned me that sometimes she's grumpy when someone tries to wake her up so early in the morning. But she's going to try not to be. I understand.

Thursday morning we're going to sleep in, get up and lounge around, and eventually pack up and head for Lake Michigan. And in the evening, we'll dine somewhere she can get chicken nuggets and I'll take her home.

It's unlikely there will be another post before Friday.

Knitting Log for July 3

This is Matthew's Scarf, free web pattern by Myrna Stahman, knit in Knitpicks Elegance, a DK weight baby alpaca/silk blend on US #4 needles. The color is called Barn Red.

A very pleasurable knit. I'm looking forward to using this yarn again.

Since I've never had the need, I don't own lace blocking wires. I can see how using the wires would have resulted in a tidier block for this scarf and I'll be owning a set soon. Nevertheless, the pattern opened up very nicely when blocked and I'm pleased with the end result.

Note Added July 4:
I only had two skeins of Elegance, so each end of this scarf is a few inches shorter than the pattern calls for. The length of the ribbing is also on the short side, fine for a small woman or child.

If you're going to knit this scarf using Elegance (110 yards per skein), you really need three skeins.
End of Note Added July 4

My CIC knitting goal for June was two pair of toddler socks. Done. Both pair are knit with Cascade 220 on US #5 needles.

The purple pair is a basic sock with a wide ribbing cuff.

The turquoise pair is the Chutes and Ladders pattern from the June/July Six Sock Knitalong.

Each two pair of CIC Chutes and Ladders knit is worth one entry in a Six Sock Knitalong drawing. The first drawing will be July 8. The prize is enticing, so I'm knitting up a second pair of Chutes and Ladders CIC socks this weekend.

The prize? 100g of brand new, not yet available, solid color sock yarn that Knitpicks will be introducing soon.

And that explains why I'm knitting little cables (chutes) in my CIC toddler socks when I'd rather not be cabling.

Wish me luck. There's a drawing every Friday for the month of July, but it's not perfectly clear to me if two new pair of socks need to be knit for each drawing. I'm hoping it's not necessary because it's unlikely to happen.

Aside from the second Chutes and Ladders CIC sock, the only thing left on the needles is about six inches of the final Lavold sleeve. I'm sticking to my promise not to show a picture of that sweater again until it is blocked and on my body. It won't be long now.

That leaves me with the question of what to knit next. Certainly there will be a pair of socks, but I haven't decided which pair.

Then there is the Hanover Jacket from Jean Frost Jackets. The Hanover swatch I knit with my tiny bit of leftover Elegance is too loose. I need to go down to US 3 or maybe US 2 to get gauge with Elegance.

The bigger question, though, is: Do I want the jacket enough to knit all that boring shadow rib (knit the right side, purl 2 and knit 1 in the back on the wrong side)?

Some other project options are the Upside Down Aran and the Vest of Many Stitches from Best of Knitters Arans and Celtics. After the endless Lavold sleeves, the thought of a vest is very tempting.

Stitch Patterns Making Me Batty

Alternate Title: What Happens To My Brain When I Knit Stockinette for Too Many Days in A Row

My all time favorite knitting books are the four stitch treasuries by Barbara G. Walker. I can spend hours looking through them. They overstimulate my mind. Everytime I pick one up, I find something new I've never noticed before and/or get an idea for knitting that was never obvious before.

I judge knitwear design by the stitch patterns used. If a design has boring, ordinary stitch patterns, I'm not going to knit it. (There have been exceptions to this rule, but I'm always bored and sorry when I break it - like now, trying to complete the endless Lavold sleeves.)

Shortly after I started knitting again and before I learned the beauty of wool, I knit this sweater for myself. (It was also before I lost 40 pounds.)

If I recall correctly, the yarn is Paton's Look At Me.

Starting at the bottom, I worked a stitch pattern until I was tired of knitting it. Then, I went to the stitch treasuries and found a new stitch pattern that I though would look good on top of the one I just finished.

Looking back, I have to note that this sweater was more fun to knit than anything else I've ever done. (Notice, I didn't say I wear it often, just that it was fun to knit.)


I've always wanted to knit the Spider in Barbara G. Walker's Third Treasury of Knitting Patterns. It's a complex twist stitch pattern 29 stitches wide by 52 rows long. She uses The Spider as a tutorial in twist stitches.

There are right twists, left twists, right side twists, wrong side twists, knit twists, and purl twists. What fun!

The spider is ugly. It looks like a spider, and I think the time has come I do need to master it.

Maybe on a seaman's scarf? For Halloween?

The problem is, I don't want to knit the spider twice. Now what would work on the other flap?

Bats!

In the same book Barbara Walker charts out bat lace.

What could be more perfect?

Sweet Potato Treats

A few weeks ago Carrie suggested I try some of the sweet potato dog treats available at Sit Stay.

I ordered a small pack of sweet potato rawhides for Glory and a small pack of the much smaller sweet potato fries for Sunny and Pappy.

To Bob's skeptical amazement, Glory thinks the rawhides are yummy. They're big enough so I can cut them in half and she still feels like she's getting a good sized treat. They're tough enough so a half rawhide takes her a while to chew and she enjoys the process.


The two little dogs differed, as usual, in their opinion.

Sunny enjoyed her sweet potato fry.

Hey Mom, if I stick one ear up and look cute will you give me another one of those yummy things?


Pappy rejected the sweet potato fry after one sniff.

Mom, surely that didn't count as a treat! Can I have something else please?


As Meatloaf would say, "Two out of three ain't bad."

The Heat Goes On

Looking at the color coded USA Today weather map, Michigan (where I live) is coded the same color as Texas - bright red, temps in the 90s.

It's a little warmer than we Michiganders expect in June, so the weather is a big topic of discussion. Especially the thunderstorms that don't cool things off at all. In fact the last two haven't resulted in enough rain to get the sidewalk wet. There was just enough moisture to make the air hazy and enough lightening to make the power flicker on and off a few times.

Early this morning I completed the small amount of housework that's going to get done today, and I've spent the rest of the day in leisure, sitting in front of the fan and taking short walks with the dogs.

Sunny thinks creek water is much tastier than tap water. Plus, it's a big dog kind of thing to do.

Each of the dogs has their own favorite place to cool off. Glory is under a table in the living room, Pappy is in front of a blowing fan, and Sunny thinks it's best under the bed. I'm with Pappy.


Why would a woman of reasonable intelligence wear a long sleeved turtleneck shirt outside for a dog walk when it's over 90 degrees?

Deer flies.

Or, as the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University calls them, "little sabres of pain."

They dive onto their victim and immediately CHOMP! Ouch!

The result is a red welt resembling a mosquito bite. The welts don't itch and they don't last long, it's just that initial, painful CHOMP that makes deer flies one of the worse bloodsucking insect pests we have here.

I view them as one of God's annual reminders that we live in a fallen world.

Actual blood was lost and pain suffered to bring you this picture of a deer fly biting my knee. Am I a dedicated blogger, or what?

Fun With Little Balls of Yarn

Warning to Sharon: This post contains a picture of a wool sock.

Several months ago a generous online friend from the Opal Chatters List sent me eleven skeins of Brown Sheep Nature Spun for CIC knitting. It's sport weight in various bright colors for the kids.

Knitting for CIC there are two main considerations, warmth and toughness. It's cold in Eastern European orphanages and the kids wear their socks without shoes. In my opinion, lightweight and/or delicate knitted items are a waste of time and energy. I've never used any yarn lighter than worsted weight for CIC socks.

This little sock was a successful experiment to test out knitting the sport weight wool with a strand of leftover sock yarn (Opal Bumblebee) carried along. It was knit on thirty stitches with size 5 (US) needles. The resulting fabric is dense, tough, and equivalent to a worsted weight sock. I'm very pleased with the result.

Using a quick kitchen scale calculation, it appears one skein of Nature Spun will make two pair of socks if the second pair is knit on 28 stitches. If I run a little short, contrasting toes are always acceptable.

I've been saving little, left over balls of sock yarn for more than five years. Once I start hauling them out of the bins I know I'll be amazed at the number.

It doesn't take much sock yarn for a toddler sized sock. The sock yarn ball in this picture is loosely wound and a little less than two inches in diameter. Its twin was enough to make the first sock.

I love knitting up the bright colors and seeing the interesting results. This is going to be fun. Most of the results are going to be more colorful than this first attempt.

Looks like I won't run out of CIC sock yarn for a while.

Dog Days of June

Since we live in a dense, shaded area, we usually don't mind not being air conditioned - except for a few days of the year, and this is one of them. It's 97 F (36 C) and the humidity is high. If we had to get up and actually do something, we'd be very hot.

I took the dogs outdoors one at a time and let them do whatever they wanted.

Glory, our oldest and biggest dog, had no problem deciding to head for the creek and wade around a while.

The two little dogs don't understand why a dog would voluntarily go into the water, but I think Glory was the smart one this afternoon.

Pappy's favorite pastime is hunting rodents. Since he's not much bigger than a rabbit, he's only had success with the smaller species.

He has caught and killed numerous mice, voles, and moles. We don't encourage him, but mousing is in his genes and there doesn't seem to be any stopping it. We'll be walking along and all of a sudden he will pounce into the weeds and come out with a prize.

This afternoon he was after a mole. He can smell them underground and knows right where to dig. If he doesn't get them on first pounce they're safe and gone, but he thinks he needs to dig a little just to make sure.

Sorry you can't see his cute little Papillon face. It's down the mole hole.

At our house, "turtle" is a verb.

Sunny has a squeaky, rubber turtle, her favorite toy since she was a tiny puppy. (Actually we're on the fifth or sixth one, and there is a spare tucked away for when this one falls apart.) She likes to play fetch and tug with it, and she's not gentle.

When she wants to play, she gets her turtle and whaps it down at someone's feet. We say that person has been "turtled". If you ignore her turtling, she repeats it.

Sunny is very persistent and hard to ignore when she wants to play turtle. Usually the person who didn't get turtled laughs at the person who did get turtled because there is no escape.

Sunny turtled me several times this afternoon and I tried to tell her it was too hot. Evidently it wasn't too hot, because we went outside with the turtle and she fetched, tugged, and had a great time.

Last One Out is a Rotten Egg!

The hatching has begun!

The first hatched looks like he's ready to rule the nest. Mom and Dad Eastern Bluebird are working hard to feed him and watch over the rest of the eggs which will be/are hatching soon.

There are five eggs, so we're hoping for another successful family of five to equal the first clutch that fledged in May.

Top Candidates for What to Knit Next

ChelleC left a comment yesterday asking to see the projects on my knitting "to do" list.

Here it is - a list of everything I want to be knitting right now:

• Chutes and Ladders socks for Six Sock Knitalong. If I'm going to participate, these need to be done by the end of July. It will be a hard decision whether to knit this pattern or start working on two original patterns I have ready to knit and write up.
  
  
• New pattern to share, Shetland Snowflake socks. Maybe this could wait a few months before we're ready to start thinking about snow.
  
  
• New Pattern to share, More Fun Than Cables sock. This is a very cool stitch pattern and I'm anxious to knit it and post it.
  
  
• Opal Tutti Fruiti socks. This yarn is gorgeous and I'm looking forward to having a pair of socks knit from it. Unfortunately, the three sock patterns listed above are not appropriate for the colorful Tutti Fruiti stripes, so this needs to be a separate project.
  
  
• Secret Sock pattern. I will be test knitting a sock pattern arriving in the mail the first part of July. Fortunately, there's no deadline on getting it done. If necessary, it can go in the stash to age a while.
  
  
• Four more pair of CIC socks. The sock challenge ends August 31. My goal is two pair in June (almost done), two pair in July, and two pair in August. These are my mindless, take along knitting.
  
  
• Five CIC sweaters out of the brightly colored Lopi I just bought. And I'd like to write up a pattern or two for other knitters to use for CIC knitting. The CIC_Knit List seems to be lacking some easy, bulky weight sweater patterns.
  
  
• Branching Out Scarf in green Knitpicks Andean Treasure. This is my quick project to try out this yarn.
  
  
• Dayflower Lace Scarf in red maple leaf Knitpicks Merino Style. This is my quick project to try out this yarn.
  
  
• Lace scarf (pattern to be determined) out of blue Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud. In fact, I have enough Alpaca Cloud for two scarves.
  
  
• Hanover Jacket from Jean Frost Jackets, yarn to be determined. Knitpicks Elegance is the leading contender. This and the test sock are the only projects on the list that I don't have the yarn for yet.

Knitting Log for June 20

After being very lazy for a few weeks, I'm back in the knitting swing of things.

Yesterday when I picked up Matthew's Scarf, I noticed I was getting near the end of the first ball of yarn. Since I only have two balls, I ended up starting the ribbing a few pattern repeats before I was planning to do so.

The pattern tails are going to be about fourteen inches long, an inch shorter than the pattern directs. I've never worn a seaman's style scarf before, so I have no idea if that's going to be too short or not.

Since I don't have a very large neck, I'll probably have to keep this scarf for myself. And since I'm loving the feel of the alpaca and silk Knitpicks Elegance yarn, it will be a pleasure to wear it.


My knitting goals for the rest of the month of June are:

• Finish first pair Chutes and Ladders socks for CIC
  
• Finish Matthew's Scarf
  
• Finish second sleeve on Lavold Silky Tweed sweater

If I can get those three projects completed, I will have nothing on the needles to start the month of July. Oh how wonderful that will be, because I have no less than a dozen projects rattling around in my head making me crazy trying to decide what to knit next.

I want to start all of them, but I've learned that three things on the needles is my limit.

There's only one way to quiet my brain and impose order on my project starting urges. I get out paper and pencil, make a list, and plan out my knitting schedule for the next forever.

I never stick with the plan, but writing it out always makes me feel like things are under control.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Tomorrow, June 18, is Mom's birthday.

I've hacked her blog to post birthday greetings and let the world know it's her special day.

Click on over and leave her a comment. She'd love to hear from you.

Two

Your Expression Number is 2

A mediator and peacemaker, you get along well with others. You light up in group situations, but struggle when you're alone. Modest and understated, you accomplish more than you give yourself credit for. Cooperative, courteous, and considerate are words people use to describe you. You know how to handle anyone, no matter how much of a pain they might be. Tactful and friendly, nearly everyone who knows you admires you. Sometimes you are overly sensitive and easily hurt. When you get too sensitive, you can become shy and uncertain. At your worst, you can be apathetic and withdrawn.

What's Your Expression Number?

This little online calculator comes up with your expression number (whatever that's supposed to mean) from the name on your birth certificate.

My favorite number has always been 2, so I was enchanted to know that's the number calculated from my original name.

The personal characteristics that go with my expression number could be me, but mostly they remind me of a generic horoscope blurb.

I am pleased to be told that I "accomplish more than you give yourself credit for." I've been reading a lot lately and I like the idea that something is getting done that I don't know about.

Thinking, Lopi, and Next Trip to Idaho

Wow. Thanks for all the great comments and email on my last post.

I think it's important that everyone take some time once in a while to think about what they're doing, what they're not doing, and ask themselves if changes need to be made. I do have some changes that I need to make, but the changes are minor. The current tone of my newly retired life is going to continue as is for now.

My faith in the Lord provides the assurance that if He has something He wants me to do, He'll make it perfectly clear. Right now, He seems to be mostly pleased to have me doing what I'm doing. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to leave the workforce earlier than planned and start the transition into life after work.

Thank you Lord and thank you Pfizer.

New Lopi Stash
I've hardly been knitting at all this week, but the new yarn arrived anyway.

CIC has requested sweaters in addition to the vests we've been knitting, so this is my new Lopi stash dedicated to making five toddler sized sweaters for CIC.

The yarn was on sale so I stocked up even though the sweaters may not get knit until 2006.

My CIC knitting goal for 2005 is twelve pair of socks and six vests. The vests have been knit and sent. Now it's sock time.

The CIC_Knit List is having a sock challenge to produce 300 pair of wool toddler socks by August 31. My personal goal is six pair.

There's a simple little pattern over on my sidebar. Even one pair of warm little socks will make a big difference in some child's comfort, so please consider knitting up a pair. You don't need to be a member of the CIC_Knit List to participate. I'll be happy to report your sock count to the list when you mail them off to CIC

Idaho, Here We Come
One of the things I've been doing this week instead of knitting has been to book a trip to Idaho for Granddaughter Kimmy and me the first week of August.

Kimmy is going to be flying for the first time and I managed to get her a window seat on all four flights. She also will be visiting Idaho for the first time, seeing mountains for the first time, and, most important, meeting her new cousin Sydney Anne for the first time.

I've already met Sydney Anne, but I won't mind seeing her again.

For this trip I'm getting a rental car. Those who know me, know that I have no sense of direction and can get lost in my own back yard, so this will be a bit of a challenge. I will have maps, written out routes, and I will (can you sense the determination) learn my way around the Spokane, Post Falls, Coeur d'Alene area.

Grandmas are more fun when they're mobile. That's my motivation to master this challenge.

What Do You Want To DO With Your Life?

This week I've been thinking about my future and my inability to get motivated about planning it.

Here I am, 60 years old, in reasonable health, looking to the future without much enthusiasm for anything.

In the past week I've had lunch with three different women about my age, plus or minus ten years. They all stopped working within the last year or a little longer. We all seem to be going through the same mental shutdown.

We're all intelligent, former professional women who have only recently learned the beauty of not being motivated, not excelling in anything, having time to do nothing, and wearing jeans/sweats and comfortable shoes.

None of us want to commit to any new obligations right now. It's enough that we plan lunch out with a friend who will understand if we need to change the date. That's just about as committed as we want to be.

So what's the point of this post? I'm not sure. I thought if I wrote it down maybe some great insight would transpire. It didn't.

I think I'll go knit.

Sunny, Pappy, and Paws on the Pier

These are my two little dogs, Sunny on the left and Pappy on the right.

They are both about 14 pounds, have black eye patches, are very intelligent, and very very loved. Other than that, they're as different as can be.

• Sunny is a female. Pappy is a male.
  
• Sunny is mostly black. Pappy is mostly white.
  
• Sunny has curly hair. Pappy has straight hair.
  
• Sunny always looks ungroomed. Pappy always looks neat and tidy.
  
• Sunny is a second generation (at least) mixed breed. Pappy is a Papillon.
  
• Sunny has stocky legs and feet. Pappy has delicate legs and feet.
  
• Sunny has a tiny head and small teeth. Pappy has a much larger head and teeth.
  
• Sunny is persistent and stubborn. Pappy is eager to please.
  
• Sunny is playful. Pappy is serious.
  
• Sunny joined the family as a tiny puppy. Pappy joined the family as a rescued adult.
  
• Sunny has never known harm. Pappy has had terrible things happen to him.
  
• Sunny goes to "Advanced Hobby" class on Monday. Pappy goes to "Advanced Hobby" class on Thursday.
  
• Sunny loves obedience work. Pappy is ho-hum about obedience work.
  
• Sunny is ho-hum about agility. Pappy loves agility.
  
• Sunny does not like strange places and crowds of people. Pappy loves them.

The Advanced Hobby classes are joining together to put on an obedience, agility demonstration at Paws on the Pier, a Humane Society dog walk in South Haven. Pappy is my demo dog - see last bullet on list - so he will be going to Sunny's class as well as his own for the next two weeks to practice.

That means Sunny will be going to the Intermediate class on Tuesday night, which means I'm going to be in doggy school three nights a week.

For anyone who is not a dog person and has read this far, let me assure you that Sunny is going to know Pappy went to her class. I really do have to take her on Tuesday or she will go into a major doggy depression.

Dog people don't need this explained.

Saturday Snippets for June 11

Scarf Clarification
Sorry I wasn't clear about the scarf picture in the last post. Several readers - maybe more - thought the picture was the Branching Out scarf being knit in Elegance.

The scarf in the picture is being knit from the pattern Matthew's Scarf by Myrna Stahman.

Since this is my first seaman's scarf, I thought it would be interesting to follow a seaman's scarf pattern. So I went looking and found the beautiful Matthew's Scarf which appears to be perfect for Elegance.

I have three different KnitPicks yarns waiting to be turned into a scarf. For the Branching Out scarf, I'm going to use the sport weight Andean Treasure - unless I change my mind before I start knitting it.

Congratulations to Kimberly Louise
Granddaughter Kimmy just completed fourth grade. It's become an annual tradition for this grandma to celebrate the end of a successful school year with a day at Full Blast for Kimmy and the friend of her choice.

Yesterday was Full Blast day, so I gathered up a non-demanding book, sunscreen, towels, and drove to Battle Creek.

My role for the day was easy: chauffeur, sit under a large beach umbrella, read a book, and hand out money as needed. The kids had fun and I had fun watching them have fun.

We ended the day with dinner at the restaurant of Kimmy's choice, Burger King.

Nest Box Update
There are five bluebird eggs now. Approximate hatch date is in two weeks, June 25.

The young swallows are doing well. When I open the nest box, they all hunker down and play dead. All the pictures I've taken look like a nest containing a dark blob. That's why you're not seeing a swallow picture today.

The Weather
It is hot (90s) and humid (blah) here and has been for the past week. There's another thunderstorm blowing in across Lake Michigan from Chicago. I'm going to unplug my laptop, grab one of my freshly fetched library books, and sit in front of the fan and read.

Knitting Log for June 8

I'm going to use age as an excuse to limit my knitting on these sleeves to twenty or less rows a day.

When I rashly decided to make myself finish the sleeves before starting another project, I had forgotten that extended knitting on this cotton type yarn hurts my hands, shoulders, and sometimes neck. Those of you who are too young and/or limber to identify with this problem, be thankful and enjoy.

It's not like I need to finish this sweater quick so I can wear it. It's 90+ degrees outside. But I do need to finish it. So my revised promise to myself is that it will stay next to my kitchen knitting chair and I will pick it up and knit a few rows on it often until the sleeves are done.

You won't see another picture of this sweater until it's done and blocked. I've tried it on and the fit is perfect. I'm going to enjoy wearing it when it's finished and the weather is cooler.


One thing leads to another OR you can't do anything without doing something else first.

I want to knit Susan's Branching Out scarf in a seaman's style so the ends will be symmetrical.

A seaman's scarf is:

A short scarf consisting of a relatively narrow section of ribbing draped over the back of the neck and a more decorative section at either end that can be worn over the upper chest.

Since I've never knit a seaman's scarf, I went in search of a pattern and found Matthew's Scarf by Myrna Stahman, perfect for the barn red Elegance yarn just received from Knitpicks.

Note added June 11: The scarf in the picture is Matthew's Scarf being knit in Elegance, not the Branching Out scarf. I'm using the Matthew's Scarf pattern to learn how to knit a seaman's scarf, and then I'm going to knit the Branching Out scarf using green Andean Treasure - unless I change my mind before then.
End of Note.

There's a provisional chain caston on the top which will eventually be the ribbing part of the scarf and the second end. I'm following the pattern exactly for a change, and hoping the finished scarf will signal the graduation of my seaman's scarf education.

The Elegance yarn is easy on my hands, soft with great stitch definition, and is still the number one contender for the Jean Frost Jacket I plan to knit when my hands heal from knitting the Lavold.

Aggressive Ferns

In order to have truth in blogging, I need to show some of the spots in the yard that are far from perfect.

When I took the camera out today, I had no problem finding a garden mess for my readers to tut-tut over.

This was formerly an orderly garden full of hostas and other shade loving plants before the cinnamon ferns took over. Evidently fern growing conditions are excellent here.

At first I thought it was pretty how the ferns filled in all the gaps and looked so cool and green. Then, at some point in time that I can't pinpoint, the ferns took over.

That Rose of Sharon bush behind the ferns looks half dead. Did the ferns kill it?

I think the hostas are still alive in there, hoping to be rescued soon. I also think it's going to be a lot of work to dig the ferns out and restore order to this plot. So, I've been ignoring it and working on the front side of the house.


The egg laying has begun!

On our first dog walk of the morning, Daddy bluebird was sitting on top of the nest box and Mom Bluebird was inside starting the second family.

Unlike the dive bombing swallows, the male took off and left the female to fend for herself. She peeked out the hole at us, then ducked down out of sight. We quickly walked off and didn't go back that way until much later in the day

Drooling Over KnitPicks Yarn

Oh the colors! Better than advertised! Brighter than in my photo!

Last weekend I ordered some sample quantities of yarn from Knitpicks, figuring I'd play around with the different possibilities before selecting a yarn to knit the Hanover Jacket from Jean Frost Jackets.

The plan is to have some fun knitting these into scarves, maybe even have another scarf contest.

As previously blogged, I am not going to cast on any of this luscious stuff until the sleeves are done on the Lavold sweater. Sigh. That isn't going to be an easy resolution to keep. The sleeves are at the endless, boring stage and I'm drooling over this yarn and some scarf patterns I've collected.

So I'm not allowed to knit my new skeins, but I am allowed to blog about them. Get ready. I'm going to sound like an ad.

In the bottom right is Elegance, a DK weight 70% baby alpaca, 30% silk blend in Barn Red. It's soft, it's beautiful, and it really is barn red - a deep rich red exactly the color of fresh barn paint. If I had to guess which yarn I'm going to select for the jacket, it would be this yarn in this color.

Up at the top of the picture is Merino Style, a DK weight 100% Merino Wool in Maple Leaf. I live where the red maples turn this color red in the fall. Knitpicks has pegged the color right on.

Merino Style is a little stiffer than Elegance. For that reason it may turn out to be the better choice for the jacket. It's also almost half the price of Elegance, but both yarns are so reasonable I'm not going to let that be a selection concern.

On the left is Andean Treasure, a sport weight 100% heathered baby alpaca. The color is Lagoon. My skeins are a little lighter in color than the picture in the Knitpicks catalog and a little darker than my photo looks on my monitor. Lagoon is a cool green with obvious heathery flakes of turquoise and yellow. I'm a sucker for rich, heathery yarns and this stuff is beautiful.

Knitpicks lists the Andean Treasure gauge at 6 stitches per inch and lists the Hanover Jacket as one of the recommended projects for this yarn. As lovely as this yarn is, I doubt it's suitable for a jacket intended to be knit with DK weight. Maybe I'll change my mind after knitting a swatch, but I don't think so.

On the right is one skein of Shine, a sport weight 60% pima cotton, 40% modal in Blush. Once again, the color is outstanding. It's a pastel salmon pink with a yellow base and very little blue tones.

I have no idea (yet) what I'm going to do with the Shine other than try knitting with it and see if it hurts my hands like other cotton yarns I've tried. It feels soft, so I'm hoping for a good cotton knitting experience.

If any of my readers have experience knitting with these yarns, I'd love to hear your advice in the comments.

Living in a Swamp

Frogs in the Pond
This Northern Leopard Frog sitting at the edge of the pond and was nice enough not to jump away until he had his picture taken.

We've been having very noisy evenings thanks to these fellows.

We have a spring fed pond in the East yard. A wonderful draw for all types of wildlife including at least one very large snapping turtle. You couldn't pay me to go wading in that pond.


Water Cress in the Creek
There's a creek that runs through the property separating the front two acres with the house from the back three acre field where we walk the dogs and have the nest boxes.

Other than the mowed walking paths, we leave the back three acres natural for the birds and wildlife. We also leave the creek natural.

The creek water is so clear it never shows in a picture. You can see the sandy creek bed and the beautiful water cress that blooms this time of year.


Second Bluebird Nest
A few weeks ago the bluebirds fledged five young from this nest box. Last weekend I removed the used and very crusted (we won't talk about what it was crusted with) nest box.

After removing the cruddy nest, I used the hose, a scraper, and a stiff toothbrush to clean out the box. Then I re-mounted it and waited.

Yesterday I could see the male and female entering the house with dry grass. Today the new, clean nest is ready for their second family of the season.

Short Row Sleeve Cap

Knitting time when I could concentrate was at a premium today, but I managed to finish up the short rows that make up the sleeve cap.

Barbara Walker recommends leaving the short row wraps to hug the armhole edge making "a neater looking join between sleeve and body than any kind of sewn seam could make." Since I've never gone wrong following the advice of Barbara Walker (Elizabeth Zimmerman called Barbara Walker a genius), I did exactly as she suggested and like the result.

The instructions work the sleeve on a 16 inch circular, but I don't have one in the right size so I'm using two longer circulars.

There is only one row knit on the underarm part of the sleeve, so I still can't be sure that the sleeve is going to fit well. But I can't tell that it isn't going to fit, either. That's a good sign. I'm hoping that even if the fit turns out a little loose, it will be acceptable.

I have a KnitPicks order on the way, and I'd love to have this sweater done by the time the new yarn gets here. I've promised myself there will be no casting on of any other project - not even a test swatch - until this sweater is complete.

Hope to have much more sleeve to show by tomorrow evening.

Sleeves and Birds

After sewing up the side seams, weaving in ends, and doing some research and calculations, I was able to start the short row sleeve cap on the Lavold sweater. It's looking great. I'm sure I'm going to like this method of setting in sleeves top down without a seam, but I'm not sure that the first try is going to be the final try.

Since the rest of the sweater wasn't knit with Walker's top down method, I had to guess a bit on the numbers. About one more inch and I think I'll be able to tell if the first try is going to be a good fit. At that point I'll take a picture to post, even if I'm going to rip it out and try again.

Meanwhile, here are two pictures of things going on in the yard.

Yesterday six tree swallow eggs hatched in one of the east nest boxes. They're tiny, naked, and well sheltered in their feather nest.

Fortunately it was a beautiful, warm day in West Michigan, so there was no problem opening the nest box and getting a picture. Well, actually there were a few little problems.

It was a challenge to hold the feathers out of the way to see the hatchlings without destroying the cosy structure loving made by mom and dad tree swallow. And mom and dad tree swallow were very irate about the home invasion. They circled and dive bombed until I left.


Yesterday I was walking out in the west side yard. It's heavily shaded with pine and oak trees and pretty much left to grow natural, except for groups of hostas I've planted for color.

It was a surprise to find this lovely Jack-in-the-Pulpit growing big and healthy under a pine tree. We've lived here fourteen years and this is the first time I've seen one on our property or anywhere nearby.

They make berries/seeds in the fall, so I suspect this plant arrived via bird poop. It looks happy here. I hope it spreads and multiples.

Thanks little bird, wherever you are.