Early Spring Bird Report

Mrs. Bluebird is trying this nest box on for size.



Mr. Bluebird is watching from a nearby bush and waiting for her decision.



This early morning robin is all fluffed up trying to keep warm in the morning frost.

Tuesday Tidbits for March 26

Polish Pottery Mug
A gift from BF Jay. A beautiful Polish Pottery mug for drinking coffee or tea at his apartment. I got to choose the pattern, he got to pay the bill. Love this mug for many reasons.



Blog Description
In an attempt to bring this blog up to date on where I am in my life, I've changed the description from "Marguerite's Knitting Blog" to "Marguerite's personal blog with posts on life, love, family, weather, knitting, and whatever."

Kimmy is Now Kim
Granddaughter Kimmy is seventeen now and is asking to be called Kim, her grown up name. I fully support her in this. I am in the process of breaking a seventeen year habit of calling her Kimmy.



The good times we had together while she was a child will always be some of my most precious memories. Kimmy is the girl on the left in the picture below from 2003.



Bufflehead Ducks
Last Sunday three Bufflehead ducks landed in the pond and spent the day playing, eating, courting, and resting on their migration to somewhere else. It was the first time I'd ever seen one in person, and I had to look them up in the bird book to do an identification.

Dave's Cuffs Done

I've been knitting on brother Dave's Christmas socks and the cuffs are done.

It's a basic 72 stitch sock with k6p1 ribbing and a gansey flag pattern knit into alternate columns.



Now on to the heel and the very long, shoe size 14 foot.

Just for fun I calculated the number of stitches needed between the gusset pickup and the beginning of the toe decreases. 7296 for one sock. 14,592 for the pair.

Those are numbers a sock knitter really doesn't want to know. It's numbers like those that cause non-knitters think we're nuts.



Pattern: Basic cuff down sock pattern on 72 stitches. k6p1 ribbing and a gansey flag pattern knit into alternate columns.

Yarn: Cascade Heritage #9825.

Needles: Options #1, 2.5mm

Gauge: 8 stitches/inch, 10 rows/inch

Tuesday Tidbits for March 19

Unwanted Snow
We're still having winter in SW Michigan. The word "snow" is in the forecast for the entire week. Today we had about three inches with a 90% chance of more tomorrow.



Humans and dogs are ready for spring. All this cold and snow is not welcome in the second half of March. Pappy says to not wake him up until the weather is better.



Internet Radio
Lately I've been listening to Pandora internet radio. Love getting to choose the kind of music I'm in the mood to hear, or I can select "shuffle" and get a mix of all the kinds of music I like.

The greatest thing about Pandora is something I've always wanted in my music radio. If they play a song I don't like, all I have to do is put my finger on the thumb down and it stops immediately and goes away from my play list forever.

My New Hat
Jay will be back from his Arizona (84 degrees and sunny today) trip this coming weekend. He's bringing me this straw cowgirl hat being modeled by his daughter Joni.

I've never been a hat wearer, so this will be an experiment in style. Where does one wear a straw cowgirl hat? And, just as important, where does one not wear a straw cowgirl hat? I won't ask if a 68 year old woman is going to look ridiculous in a straw cowgirl hat. I'm wearing it!

Karen's Socks Done

I'm still working on Christmas socks for brother Dave and his partner Karen. Karen's are done.

I won't try to give an excuse why I'm still knitting Christmas socks in March. We'll just pretend it is OK.



Last year when I posted a picture of the cuff of these socks (see below), there were several people who wanted the pattern. It's not a pattern. It's a basic ribbed sock with an Alpine design running up each side. If you want to know more about it, it's explained in detail in a previous blog post here.

Here's a closeup picture of this beautiful yarn.



Pattern: Basic cuff down sock pattern on 64 stitches with Alpine motif down both sides.

Yarn: Cascade Heritage #9828.

Needles: Options #1, 2.5mm

Gauge: 8 stitches/inch, 10 rows/inch

Testing Smart Phone Posting

Testing out the Blogger ap to post from my phone.

It's Saturday morning. Sunny, Pappy, and I are snuggled back in bed. The dogs are sleeping and I'm playing with my phone.

This is pretty slick. I'm planning to remember this ap for when I actually have something to post.

Snow, Ducks, and Hawk

A March snow is seldom very serious, but it is disappointing to those of us who are ready for spring.

These pictures were taken today during breaks in the Lake Effect Snow waves that have hit on and off since yesterday.

The ducks don't care if there is snow. They know nesting season is coming soon so they're checking out the pond.

If they could understand me, I would tell them the pond is not a good choice. It contains several large snapping turtles that will happily feast on their duck babies.



This hawk has been hanging around all winter. Now it appears it is checking out my nest boxes waiting for something yummy to move in.

Normally I don't mind nature being nature, but I do hope it will leave my nest box families alone.

Tuesday Tidbits for March 12

March in Michigan is blah. What snow is left is dirty. The new snow that comes down soon becomes slush and mud. Outdoor color is hard to find, which is why Michiganders get excited about the little snowdrops that are the first thing to pop up out of the garden.



Boyfriend Jay is doing what all Michiganders want to do in March. He is traveling to a warmer climate. While eating his way across the country to Arizona, he and traveling companion (his) daughter Joni stopped at Cattlemen's Restaurant in Oklahoma City for some Lamb Fries.

From a review: "Lamb Fries are testicles that are sliced, breaded, and deep fried. Gonads are a highly-regarded delicacy in much of the West. When young livestock is castrated on the range, it is traditional for cowboys to fry their harvest as a treat at the end of the day. Like much deep-fried food, it's breading that's the keynote flavor. The organ meat inside is moist and slightly sweet."

According to Joni, eating Lamb Fries makes Jay a "real cowboy".



Jay and I are keeping in touch on Facebook and texting. On Facebook he posted this picture of his "favorite street" in Gallup, New Mexico.

If you can't read the street sign, click on the picture to make it bigger.



Jay's daughter Joni asked if I had ever heard of Polish Pottery. I hadn't. When I Googled it, I found many pieces of beauty, the one in the picture below being my favorite.

Boleslawiec pottery is the collective term for pottery produced in Boleslawiec, Poland. Boleslawiec Pottery is also known as Polish Pottery or Polish Stoneware.

Need to find out more about this. It's totally beautiful, especially the nature pieces.

Snapshot of My Life on March 7

Weather in SW Michigan ...
Early spring In SW Michigan. It's a thrill to know that under the snow things are happening. In about a month these daffodils will be blooming, even if there is still snow on the ground.



Who Cares About That? Tell Us What's Going On With Your New Boyfriend . . .
We are very happy and all is well.

I'm trying to decide what to call him on this blog. I think I'll just go with his first name, Jay.

Really? ...
Got a phone call this week collecting contact information for my 50th high school reunion. Huh? What? How could it be 50 years?

Something from the kitchen ...
Just bought this book, Taste of Home: Slow Cooker: 403 Recipes for Today's One- Pot Meals (Taste of Home Annual Recipes). So far I have not dazzled Jay with my cooking skills, and it isn't likely to happen. He enjoys cooking and is a much better cook than I am.

I do like nice hardy crockpot recipes, thought, and I think if I make a few of these he will be happy to help me eat them.



I am creating...
A new life for myself. A life full of love and companionship with a very special man.

Part of the process is to figure out what I want to keep from my old life. I haven't decided what to do with this blog yet. I've missed blogging, but does it really fit in with the new life we're creating? My decision for today is to give it more time until the answer becomes obvious.

I am procrastinating ...
Getting the taxes ready for the accountant. But time is up. It has to be done. Having it all delivered by the end of next week is my goal.

I am reading...
My Utmost for His Highest: Updated Edition, a daily Christian devotional.

This beautiful book was a gift from Jay on our first re-meeting after nine plus years. (I can't call it a date, because I DID NOT date and never planned to start.)

Each page is dated. We both read it every day and sometimes compare thoughts on what we read. He's been through it in previous years, so he's way ahead of me with the thoughts. I'm finding it spiritually challenging. Almost each day provides something to pray about to deepen my relationship with the Lord.



I am hearing...
Geese out by the pond looking for a place to nest. They are very noisy and unwanted.



Outdoors ...
Took a walk on the back three acres today to clean out the nest boxes. It's not nesting season yet, but the birds are establishing territory.

When I looked up, this bluebird was sitting on the wire watching me.



A few plans for the next few days
When old people have a serious romance the "meet the parents" event is replaced by the "meet the children and grandchildren" event. I'm looking forward to going to Lansing to meet some of Jay's family.

He is going to be traveling for the next few weeks, and I'm going to be catching up on things that have been neglected. Hope to have some knitting time. And the taxes must be addressed.

Giving thanks for ...
A new, happy outlook on life.

And ...
If you would like to be my Facebook friend, e-mail Me and I'll tell you how to find me, or you can tell me how to find you to friend.

I don't put knitting stuff on Facebook because many of my friends and family don't relate, so only friend me if you're interested in the non-knitting parts of my life.

On Hiatus

Dear Blogging Friends,

Thank you for all the concern about my absence. This time it's a good thing that's keeping me from posting.

December 20 my life changed dramatically. A friend from the past became my love of the present and future. He and I are spending a lot of time together and there is no time left for knitting or blogging.

Knitting is in my blood. As things settle down into a normal routine (hard to imagine right now), I plan to be knitting and blogging again. Until then, wishing you all many blessings in 2013.

Snapshot of My Life on December 14

Weather in SW Michigan ...
The days are short and without snow the landscape is almost colorless. The "without snow" is fine with me.

Really? ...
It seems like it should still be summer and I can't believe I'm going to turn 68 next month. How many realities am I living in?

Something from the kitchen ...
I wish there was something from the kitchen. It was egg sandwich for lunch and it's going to be frozen dinner this evening. Grocery shopping has moved up to the urgent column on my to do list.

I am creating...
Socks. This pair is done for a Christmas gift and I'm working on two more pair with a Christmas deadline. I don't think I'm going to make it. Fortunately brother Dave has been known to send his Christmas gifts out in June, so that takes away a little of the pressure.

I am procrastinating ...
Moving posts from my old blog to this one so I can delete the old blog. The time consuming part is the pictures. Before Blogger let us store pictures in Blogger land, I put them on Picturetrail. To convert the posts, I need to match up the pictures on my laptop with the posts and upload them to Blogger.

My excuse for taking so long: I haven't convinced myself this project is worth the effort.

I am reading...
A Wanted Man: A Jack Reacher Novel by Lee Child.

Normally I start a book and procrastinate other things until the book is finished. This time of year that's not feasible, so it's going slow. It may not get finished until after Christmas.

I am hearing...
Quiet except for Sunny snoring.

Outdoors ...
This hawk sits high up in a neighbor's tree watching all the other birds eat and fatten themselves up for his dining pleasure.

A few plans for the next few days
Christmas musical at Calvary Bible Church with friends. Church and teller duty at Lighthouse Community Church. Lunch in South Haven with a friend. And after Christmas I'm looking forward to lunch with a friend that I haven't seen in almost a decade.

Giving thanks for ...
All the good Bible teachers I've had in the past eighteen years. They have changed my life for the better.

And ...
I brought the doggy car seats into the house when I had people who needed to ride in the back seat. Pappy thinks his seat is a great place to take a nap.

Mondo Cable Pulli Done

The first picture below is the picture from the pattern. When I started this project the plan was to knit the sweater without modifications, like this picture.

It started out well. The raglan top fit. The sleeves were on hold, and I knit round and round to the bottom of the flared out p1,k5 ribbing hem. Then I tried it on.

I didn't like the lenghth. It was too short and flared from my hips in the most unflattering place. I could feel the cold air on my tummy.

So I frogged the hem, knit two more inches of stockinette, and hemmed it with a p1,k2 ribbing.

Much more to my liking.

I repeated the snugger k2,p1 ribbing on the sleeves.

By the time I was done, I wished I had frogged the body back to above the side increases. I washed and blocked it, and decided to try wearing it the way it was.

I've worn it twice now. It's snuggly and warm and I like it enough to call it done.

If I were to knit it again, there would be no side increases. Lesson learned. (Have I supposedly learned this lesson before?)

Pattern: Chic Knits Mondo Cable Pulli

Yarn: Dream in Color Classy Superwash Merino, heavy worsted weight

Color: Starless Sky. The top picture of the neckline is the most like the actual color.

Needles: US #8

Gauge: 4.5 stitches/inch, 6 rows/inch in stockinette.

Snapshot Of My Life for November 3

Weather in SW Michigan ...
Frostly nights. No snow yet.

Really? ...
I'm thinking about what to do with this blog. In the past year it has turned into an every other week diary of my life. And that's OK, but it wasn't intentional.

Now I'm wanting it to either be intentional or do something to change it.

Something from the kitchen ...
Food without chunks to get in the hole left by my newly extracted molar. Soft things that can be slurped down and don't need to be chewed by my swollen, aching jaw.

It was not a pleasant week in my personal dental history.

I am creating...
The Mondo Cable Pulli is done. It deserves its own post. Soon.

I am procrastinating ...
Calling one of Bob's stock market accounts to find out why they are sending me statements with a one cent balance when the account was closed a year ago.

They weren't easy to work with when I closed the account and I'm not happy that it appears we never finished the job.

I am reading...
The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg.

An enjoyable read exploring how habits function. Full of true life stories. It's interesting enough so I want to be reading instead of blogging. Soon.

I am hearing...
As always, the dogs are on either side of me snoring. The refrigerator is humming. Otherwise quiet.

Outdoors ...
It's easy to spot the abandoned bird nests now that the leaves are gone.

Something new for me ...
I enjoyed having my Droid in bed with me while I suffered through dental agony last week. It was especially nice to be able to send and recieve email without ever having to sit up.

Giving thanks for ...
After two months on prednesone, Sunny will finish her taper off this coming week.

I just wish there was some way to tell her she is crippled so she doesn't hurt her spine again.

And ...
My wonderful granddaughters.

A week ago Kimmy turned seventeen. She's working at Target for the holidays and hoping they will keep her afterward.

I found this picture to post for her birthday:

Sydney is in second grade this year and was a princess for halloween.

The only thing scary about this is how quick she is growing up.

Snapshot of My Life on October 19

Weather in SW Michigan ...
Cool and rainy today. This is the view from the end of my driveway.

Really? ...
Love this picture of Daughter Heather and Granddaughter Kimmy out pumpkin shopping.

Yes, they really are biological mother and daughter, one beautiful and fair, the other beautiful and dark.

The facts of country living ...
Sat for two hours at the Toyota dealer yesterday to get my car serviced and have mice removed from the car heater.

This is prime "rodents looking for a warm place to nest" season. Normally I don't have the heater cleaned out until I really need it, however I'm taking some friends with me on a jaunt Saturday and wanted the car exterminated. Not all people appreciate sharing their ride with rodents, especially if the heater fan doesn't work.

Now hoping nothing else moves in before our outing.

I am creating...
For years I had a rule: No more than three knitting projects in progress at once. It worked great. Things got finished. I could plan the next project and buy new yarn for it without guilt. I didn't get stressed wondering which project to work on next.

Something happened. I'm not sure what. Due to a lack of knitting discipline, I have NINE projects in various stages of work.

One more sleeve to go on Mondo Cable Pulli. Then I'll be down to eight projects. Knitting life is better when I stick to three, so I'm working on getting there.

Three of the projects were in progress when Bob died. I haven't looked at them since, but I'm ready now. Either I'll finish them or frog them.

Two of the projects aren't started yet, but they're for Christmas and need to be cast on soon. The beautiful yarn I'm going to use is sitting on a table in front of me just begging to go on the needles, only I don't have any empty needles to put them on.

I am procrastinating ...
Knitting sleeves. Four of the nine projects on my list just need sleeves.

I am reading...
Listening to The Reversal (A Lincoln Lawyer Novel) while I knit sleeves.

While fetching the link, I saw a review that said, "Readers who crave a feel-good ending may balk at the novel's disquieting finale."

I don't think I'm going to like a disquieting finale. Maybe I'll move on to the next library audiobook.

I am hearing...
Raindrops. Not happy about that. I'm trying to wash the sap off my car and am about half done. If it was twenty degrees warmer, I could do it in the rain with a natural rinse from the sky.

Outdoors ...
Tuesday Keith, the lawn mowing guy, vacuumed up all my leaves. Next Tuesday he'll be able to repeat the process. The lawn is covered and there's three days left before he comes again.

Something new for me ...
A week from Sunday I will become a member of the Wesleyan Church, Lighthouse Community Church in Kalamazoo/Oshtemo.

After four years of attending there, it's about time.

Giving thanks for ...
Sunny is doing better. She's tapered down to one prednesone a day. If all continues to go well, she'll be on an every other day schedule next week. And maybe I'll feel confident enough to put the mattress back on the box spring, although after six weeks I've gotten used to sleeping with the mattress on the floor.

And ...
This year even the oak trees showed some color. The autumn has been beautiful.