Monday, May 19, 2008

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

To the right is a photo of the Japanese Maple Tree that graces our front yard, in front of the dining room windows. The colors are more vivid than in any of the previous five Springs we've enjoyed in this house. I wonder why that is? Could it be the long, cold Winter we had? The wet, wet March, when the leaves were forming? Who knows? Who cares!



And, the glorious red leaves of the maple are accented by the yellows, purples, and pinks of the iris that grow at the base of this tree (photo to the left). Aren't they just lovely? I can see this show from my office window...who could ask for anything more?


Well, how about a robin on a nest? Yep, if you look closely at that photo of the Maple above, you might see our Momma Robin nestled into her new home, keeping (we assume) some eggs warm and toasty. Here (right) is a close-up that shows the scene a little better. If there was ever any doubt about the season, this should put all questions to rest!

Friday, May 16, 2008

The Finches are Here

It's a great day in our neighborhood...the goldfinches have returned in their Summer finery! As I sat on the deck this morning enjoying the glorious weather (no rain), the clear blue sky (did I mention...no rain?), and my third (or was it fourth?) cup of coffee, I realized that those little birds darting about were goldfinches. They're ba-a-ack!

I got my camera ready and got as close as they (and my zoom lens) would allow...and here is a shot (right) of Mama and Papa Finch at one of the feeders. Aren't they beautiful?
Mr. T has a feeder just for the thistle seed that the goldfinches love...and it was attracting 4 and 5 at a time. Unfortunately, it hangs on a rather shady limb of the sassafras tree, so I couldn't get a decent shot of the activity. Here's the best one of the 20 or so that I took (!) (left). There are two males on the feeder and one waiting in the limb to the right. That feeder, by the way, was full three days ago (and it's been raining pretty steadily since last weekend).

This other picture is of a male goldfinch at our "Squirrel Slinger" feeder, which in hanging on the Arch in our back yard. [The "Arch" in this case is a re-purposed swing stand, which now supports a Trumpet Honeysuckle vine on one side (shown in the photo...great for attracting hummingbirds!), a Jackman clematis on the other, and bird feeders in between.] The base of this particular feeder, officially known as The Yankee Flipper, offers a nice perch for a bird (like the goldfinch, shown), but will mechanically...and quickly...rotate if anything heavy...like a squirrel...tries to hang on it. Hence, slinging the offending squirrel off the feeder onto the ground. Wheeee! Of course, the squirrels seem to have figured out a work-around, as they just slide the whole feeder from the middle of the Arch over to the sidebar...and then tilt the feeder up to their hungry little mouths. Squirrel-proof bird feeder, indeed.

Of course, all that rain we've had, followed by this lovely, warm sunny day, brought out the blooms all over the yard. Unfortunately, it has also encouraged rampant growth in the lawn...which has gone to seed while the lawn mower has been in the shop this week. Looks like our work is "cut out" (pun intended) for us this weekend, for sure. No matter...it's my favorite time of the year!

Thursday, May 15, 2008

FO: Purple Pullover

Hooray! My purple pullover (photo, left) is finished!! I used Classic Elite's "Premiere," in color #5295 ("eggplant"), which is 50/50 pima cotton/tencel...the perfect Summer-weight...and I cannot say enough good things about this yarn. It's so soft, a joy to knit with, was so easy on my hands, and has great stitch definition. I love, love, love it!!!

I used an Oat Couture pattern called Metro Pullover, but I guess I'll have to call mine "Mostly Metro Pullover," as I made a few changes. No, really. First of all, I used a DK-weight yarn, which swatched to a gauge of 5.25 stitches per inch (the pattern was for either a worsted or a chunky/aran weight). I tried to increase my needle size, but the swatch looked so much better with the yarn-band-suggested US6. Get out the calculator...looks like I need to do some math. Next, I changed the "false button-band" up the front that the pattern called for to a lovely cable pattern (see photo to right) that I'd seen in a Knit 'n Style magazine. Then, I figured out how to "split" the cable and continue past the V-neck and up underneath the collar. Of course, since it was a Summer sweater and yarn, I decided to go with short sleeves instead of long. Then, based on personal perference, I changed the rib from a 1x1 to a 2x1. Because I already have a set of droopy shoulders, I changed the drop-shoulder sleeves to a modified set-in (as suggested by Connie at Knit and Caboodle, where I got both the yarn and the pattern)...and after I discovered that the pattern called for knitting the sleeves by picking up the stitches from the shoulder/arm-holes, rather than by knitting separate pieces, I decided to join them and knit 'em in the round. But, hey, other than that...I pretty much followed the pattern...:)

You might wonder why I even bothered buying the pattern in the first place? Well, I love Oat Couture patterns...they are so thoughtfully thorough in their directions, they design patterns that look great on most people, and they have a wide ranges of sizes. And, unlike the majority of designs, I find that many of their patterns "fit" the mental pictures I have of sweaters I want to knit...and wear. But, the main reason I don't just wing it is, I find that I do better when I take a previously-designed pattern and tweak it...just a bit.

I think I'll wear my new pullover to the airport tomorrow when we go to pick up Missy M, who is coming for a weekend visit...an even bigger HOORAY!

In other "news," it's still raining. I emptied the rain gauge on Saturday...it read between 1 3/4 and 2 inches of rain. Today, it looks like another 2 inches have accumulated since then. No matter...the iris are still blooming. The photo to the left is of the beautiful yellow and white variety that is blooming in the front, next to the white garden bench, under the Japanese maple. I can see them from my office window. Also, I got a few things in the ground between deluges on Wednesday: some bean and carrot seeds, some onion sets, and a lot of marigold and zinnia seeds (saved from last year's "crop"). This should be a really interesting year for the garden...

Friday, May 9, 2008

How Does My Garden Grow, Part 1

OK, so it is only 59 degrees today. It's rained for the last 3 days...and is forecast to rain for three more (the whole weekend, mind you). No matter. Spring has arrived in MO! How can I be so sure? Well, the pollen count is over the top...and the iris are starting to bloom all over the yard. This morning, I took pictures of the early bloomers: three colors of purple, a bronzy one (you can see one of these in the background of the pic to the right), two kinds of yellows, and a soft white. The newest variety to grace us with its beauty...this fabulous deep purple one, shown in the photo to the right. As the purple iris is the state flower of Tennessee, we're naturally partial to it. [The state flower of Missouri is apparently the White Hawthorne Blossom...which grows on the Hawthorne Tree...which would mean that, technically, it really isn't a flower, is it?]


And, this afternoon, I snapped this pic (left) of our lilac bush in full bloom in the back yard. I have to say that this is the prettiest show it has ever put on! A couple of weekends ago, we re-worked the rose bed where the lilac was planted, moving most of the rose bushes that survived the harsh winter and re-routing the path through the (former) bed, leading to the bridge. Now, we can walk right next to the lilac, sniffing its wonderful fragrance without having to step off the path! My cousin gave us this beautiful Dwarf Korean Lilac three years ago when visiting from AZ, and we are most grateful every Spring!

Great news: our goldfish survived the long, hard, cold winter in the pond! All three of them. Mr. T was attempting to scoop some leaves out of the pond with the net after it thawed ...when he "caught" one of 'em on the first scoop! And, we've seen all of them in the past few days. I had read about how goldfish and Koi will slow down after the water temp drops below 50, and can survive if given a deep enough pond. So, when we dug the pond, we made sure to go below the frost line, with an additional deeper level (for the pump), to give them a place to hide below the ice layer. Apparently, it worked! "Jaws" is even bigger (and more fiesty) than he was when last seen last Fall. Both Goldy Spawn and Tiger (he's black-striped instead of solid gold) are heftier, too. These are fish that we had inside in a 25-gallon tank for 4 years...and last Fall, after re-digging and re-working the pond and adding the bridge, we decided to see if the Guys could make the transition from indoors to out. Everybody in the pond! Hooray...they have!!


Makes me even more eager to get that ^&*!% hole in the pond liner patched so we can do the other maintenance necessary to fill it to the max and make it a happy home for the Guys. We got a new 'external' filter to help keep the water in better condition, and if the weather will cooperate we'll get it installed...soon.


We also need to get this First Prize rose bush (photo, right) in the ground, in the new rose bed. Aren't the blooms gorgeous? We bought it, along with a Queen Elizabeth and a Chrysler Imperial (my "birth-year" rose), to replace the ones we lost to the Winter.


And, last but not least, the Vegetable Garden Report. Before the rains arrived, I got several tomatoes, a few peppers, and some cucumbers planted. Mr. T had double-tilled the garden soil, but it's been too wet to work much this week. I only got 4 tomatoes planted in the garden. Instead, I concentrated on the containers on the deck, paying particular attention to getting Gus' Patio Tomato planted. A tomato plant for a dog, you ask? Yup. Gus absolutely loves to pick patio (small) tomatoes off the plant and play with them! And he knows the difference between the green ones and the ripe, red ones, too! We call it his Toy Tree. Woo-hoo!

Friday, May 2, 2008

Go Cards!

Tonight will be our first Cardinal game of the 2008 season...live one, that is. We bought a ticket package and are excited to see where our nose-bleed seats are this year. We like what are called Infield Terrace seats, which are high-up over home plate on the third base side. We get a great view of the Arch from there! Tonight's opponents..."arch-rival" (no pun intended...:) Chicago Cubs.

Speaking of the Cubs...that made me remember a chuckle I had while at the Grand Canyon recently. I was sitting on a rock ledge on Mather Point overlook (photo, left), enjoying the wonder of it all and trying to stay warm, when a group of tourists approached me to ask if I'd take their picture. Of course, I'm always eager to help out my fellow travellers and asked if their camera was a simple "point & shoot?" When I raised the viewfinder to my eye, I realized that I was looking at 4 "Chicago Cubs" tee shirts and caps! Hmmm. I said: "I sure hope I don't mess this shot up or anything. You might want to know, I live in St. Louis." They looked like they wanted to take their camera back, immediately. I told them not to worry...just move back a little...back, back...that's it, just a little more...oh, you better watch that next step behind you there! Just kidding!!


I was looking at my AZ photos again this week, and I really loved all the colors that showed up in the Canyon pictures I took on Sunday afternoon, April 6. The pictures taken in the late afternoon are so different than the ones I took at sunrise the next day. Amazing!


Hopefully, the weather will cooperate for our baseball outting. It was raining...storming actually...earlier this morning, which prevented me from going to the STL Symphony's Coffee Concert. I truly hated to miss it...as this is one of my favorite treats "to myself, from myself"...but I didn't particularly want to walk the 3-4 blocks from the parking lot to the Symphony Hall in a down-pour. [Nothing like having done your hair and put on some nice shoes & duds (replacing the usual sneakers, jeans and turtleneck/tee), only to have everything ruined by rainwater! And, then to have to sit for a couple of hours in the wet clothing. Um, no thanks.] Oh well...I shouldn't complain too much...lots of folks today are dealing with much worse consequences of the bad weather throughout the Midwest. I just have to worry about whether I should wear a jacket to the game or not...

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