Livestock and Wildlife

Most mornings I go out for a walk, if weather and meeting schedule allows.  The exception is Saturday, when I do an early yoga class.  On Sundays, I often take a long walk because it's a non-work day.

In mid-July I went to the West Hartford Reservoir #1 for the first time in a long while.  Even with masking less of an issue outdoors, I wear one there, and many times I haven't taken one with me so I'll get as far as the gate and turn around.  There are two paths, the yellow which is shorter but more difficult, and the red which is longer but paved the whole way and mostly flatter.  With weather and work I hadn't walked as much as usual, and was feeling it, so having the excuse of enjoying nature at a couple points – sitting on a rock listening to a rushing stream or leaning on a bridge admiring a small waterfall, which was there only because we'd had a lot of rain in early July – was quite lovely.

 

Then there was the deer.  A half-grown fawn it appeared to me.  I heard a noise off the side of the path and looked, and there it was, maybe five or six metres at most off the path, having a snack of tasty leaves.  What surprised me is that three women had just passed me walking briskly in the other direction, chattering among themselves, and hadn’t noticed the deer – nor had they scared it away.  I stopped quite still and observed it for some time.  Other than occasionally looking in my direction, the deer seemed unconcerned at having a human admirer.  It walked even closer to me as it snacked on the fresh leaves of smaller plants.

 

Then something that seemed a deer communication (several distinct snuffles) sounded from further away, and I looked in that direction to see another deer bounding away maybe a quarter-mile or so distant.  In a flash the one I’d been observing bounded in the same direction, and they were gone.

The reservoir is part-time home to geese, and several times I saw families walking on the side of the road.  More than once, traffic had to pause while they crossed the road, with the goslings as likely to wander into the traffic lane and being herded onto the edge of the road where lawns or forest gave them a bit more protection, and options for snacks.  The first time I saw traffic stopped I wondered if there had been an accident, then I spotted the geese entering the shoulder lane and all became clear.

Closer to my home, a family of turkeys is often about.  The first time I spotted them was walking down the road in front of my building, very early one morning.  Since then, I have seen them several other times, either in my community or at the nearby medical offices.  Often I see the adults, and then notice the chicks only because there's some motion, because they are fluffy and grey and often hard to see against foliage.  The most recent spotting was this morning.  I saw a tom entering the woods from the end of somebody's driveway and wondered if he was related to the family.  As I turned my sight back to the direction of travel I saw motion, and sure enough three fluffy grey chicks were scrambling in the grass at the side of the road.  A moment later a rustle and twig-snap just beyond the tree line, and the chicks scampered to join their mother.

I also see domesticated animals, usually dogs walking their humans.  In this area, no such, although a couple of signs warned me to beware of dogs.  As I retraced my steps, I heard the very unexpected sound of sheep.  Might somebody have a pet goat?  It sounded like sheep, but I was in a residential area.  Still, in older parts of town, farms or ranches may be grandfathered into the deeds.  I decided to walk a short way down a lane, prepared to turn back if it turned out to be a private driveway or road.

Then I spotted the "WARNING <sheep silhouette> LIVESTOCK" sign.  Truly, sheep?

Yes, indeed.  I spotted them at a distance, through the far trees, then they were walking down a road or driveway on the far side of the space I could see.  Not too much time later, they were heading for the fence, and I walked slowly back to the road, hoping to not spook them or the human I could see behind the flock, walking the fences.  Very sweet they looked (the sheep, not the human, who was too far for me to get a good view) and chatty, having breakfast on the vegetation.  Or maybe, given the hour, second breakfast or elevenses?

No pictures, as I usually don't have a camera with me on the walks, and I like to enjoy the world unfiltered.  No need to take constant photos, in my humble opinion.

Midmonth Mini-Resolution Report

Not much progress on the UFOs, because I need to finish a graduation gift and want to get the charity items done and shipped.  I sent three (two scarves and a hat) to Dallas with some sheep-shaped soaps I made, for a friend to contribute to the goody bags of a retreat she attends each August (except last year, of course).  The scarf is almost done, and having quite a bit of the yarn left I signed up to do a hat and mittens for another grad, and maybe a scarf.

I finished The Hamilton Affair and decided to turn back to Mad Scenes and Exit Arias, which my parents lent to me and I should return during my next trip.  It was to be next week, but with the various COVID-19 variants and infection numbers increasing, and my mother's worry and insistence, I postponed it to next month.  So far I am up to 2007 and should be able to finish the book in reasonable time.

The graduation gift stagnated all week because I was almost finished with the back and found out my gauge was off.  So, I frogged it and restarted it Friday evening.  It's going quickly, I have the back and both fronts done and in this photo had just started the first sleeve:

Hopefully I'll be on the border by the end of today, or ready to start it tomorrow.  I read that today is National Relaxation Day, so after the long walk this morning I am relaxing by watching old films on TCM, a recording of "Wolves" on a temporary streaming opportunity, and crocheting.

Learning something new.

My best friend's elder daughter graduated from high school and is on her way to college.  I asked what to send as a gift, and since the daughter would love something handmade from me, we sorted out a pattern and colour (pastels) and yarn ("washable, natural material, nothing sparkly") and so forth.

It's high time I started work on it, so I did this afternoon, winding the first hank of yarn and reading through the pattern.  Then I realized I had to learn to do the foundation single crochet, which I usually avoid by doing a chain and then a row of regular single crochet.  I decided that I need to learn to do this properly, since the pattern requires it, so with much trial and error, I did:

I am now on Row 8 of the back, making good progress.  The yarn is Cascade Yarns Nifty Cotton, a washable 100% cotton yarn, and colour chosen by the recipient.  She doesn't know what I am making.  {Seventh Inning Stretch update:  The back is an inch too wide.  I am going to frog and remove four stitches.  The next smaller size is eight inches smaller and I think it will be too small.  So there's an evening's work gone - at least I have the rhythm of the pattern now, and crocheting goes fast.}

I was supposed to be there next week to help her pack for the move to college, but thanks to the Delta Variant, I'm not going to make the trip.  Maybe we'll work out a way to do it by Zoom or Facetime.

This week I also finished a sweater for Mittens for Akkol, and I really like how it came out:

 

Lopi Lite, plain stockinette in black, with garter stitch borders.  I may make another for me, but of a different yarn.  I have plenty of leftovers, so started a scarf, which doesn't look like much at the moment, to go with another grad sweater.  Further progress will be made on it or the pink thing during tonight's Crosstown Classic.

Reading

After finishing a book last month, I am making progress on two others.  I'd set aside The Hamilton Affair some months back, and since I hope to visit my parents soon I want to finish so I can return it to the library in their community's clubhouse.  I'm in the home stretch now and I think I'll start My Dear Hamilton next, and donate it to the library with the other.

I also have Tuesdays with Morrie which my father lent to me, and which is a quick read.  I hope to finish it so I can return it on my next trip.  We're hoping that to visit family, and not randomly travel about, will be safe.  I know many people who are taking vacations or visiting family or even going to camp and doing all kinds of things I haven't felt safe doing, so hopefully this little bit of travel will be possible and go well.  It's so hard to know.

First Sunday Brunch

A friend has been hosting a brunch on the first Sunday of the month for years.  I was invited to join the group a few years ago, and attended when I was in town, meaning I got there about two of three months.  One person would always cook scrambled eggs, breakfast meat (bacon or sausages or both), and potatoes (meat and vegetarian versions, with sweet peppers and onions), and the rest of us brought whatever we liked.  It could be donuts, fruit salad, vegetables, quiche, various baked sweets, orange juice and sparkling wine of some sort.

Then the pandemic hit, and there hadn't been one since March 2020 until today.  A small group of us gathered, and the weather was good so we could use all the outside spaces and move through the house in threes and fours.  It was interesting to be in a group.  I was the only one who kept a mask on almost the whole time, but I felt more comfortable that way.

I'd been thinking about taking fruit salad or just fruit, then I found a recipe for Nectarine Upside-Down Cake, and decided to make it because nectarines are available at the farmstand where I have my CSA share this year.  It came out a bit darker than the photograph, and a bit dry because I forgot the oven was on convection and I should have dropped the temperature and/or baking time.  But it was liked well enough, and there isn't much left for me to take to the bicycle shop this week.

I'd made another recipe from the same blog for the local cooking club (we don't meet in person, so it's not quite as fun as when we could taste each other's cooking) earlier this week.  Most of the ingredients came from the farmstand and this is definitely something I will make again.

Resolutions Report

Another month when I didn't do the end-of-month report, but we were busier than usual in the last few days because my uncle suddenly took a turn in the level of care he needs, and it turned out the place where he had been living couldn't provide it, so we had to find a new place and get aides to give the extra care he needed until we did and get him moved and settled.  When I say "we" I mean that my parents, who live near him, did most of it, although as his legal representative I had to sign a lot of things and tomorrow I go to a bank to get one notarized.  Conveniently, if you can call it that, the tax payments I mailed to our town mid-month seem to have gone missing so I have to go to their office (paying on line incurs over $60 in service fees) tomorrow to pay, as it's the deadline.  And stop payment on cheques.  So while I am out and have to visit the bank anyway........

I did have some time to do some knitting, and made progress on the Omega Shawl.  I am now working on the mesh border, and so far I am not a fan, but I persevere.  I'll see what I think after one full repeat of the stitch pattern is finished.  I've also made progress on the charity sweater and am about halfway up the yoke.  Since the yarn is solid black it's a challenge to keep track of the decrease rows at night, so I am alternating between the two and steadfastly not casting on something new except as I need it for dentist knitting.  I finished the hat I had, so I need a new one OTN before Tuesday when I go to get the new implant checked.  Yes, I broke a tooth and there wasn't enough to save, and this is the best option.

Get Gnarly Today

The last Friday in July is, among other things, "National Get Gnarly Day". The word “gnarly” can mean “bad” or “dangerous” but can also mean something exciting and unpredictable, which is the way I learned it, from surfers who use the term to describe the waves they tackle.  Dictionaries tell us that "gnarly" means both "twisted" as in roots or fingers, and "difficult, dangerous, or challenging." Much like surfers challenging the waves, Get Gnarly Day challenges us to put some gnarliness into everything we do, providing an opportunity to embrace new ideas and toss out old ways.

Many people look at January 1st, the first day of the Gregorian calendar, as a time to start new things.  Some people call in a backup at April 1st, the day the Romans set as the first day of the year, and others follow religious new years such as Rosh Hashonnah.  I've said that we need to have more "first days" and starting points, because it can be daunting to have one day a year, and measurement can be a struggle.  This is why I started the mini-resolutions and every month to do something new, or different, or accomplish something.

Get Gnarly Day might be a another good starting point, but a day to not just mark something routine such as making sure all the floors get washed, or you eat enough vegetables (too easy for me in the summertime!), or starting any new thing.  It's a day to pick a new perspective, something truly new, something you normally wouldn't because it is, or appears to be, difficult, dangerous, or challenging.  Embrace it, and the learning you will experience as you undertake something gnarly today, this weekend, and in your life.

Virtually 5K

Technically, it was a virtual 5K, since I definitely walked that distance - over double, since my FitBit said I walked 11.54km this morning.  I've done a number of virtual 5K walks in the last year-plus; some friends have signed up for multiple walks as a personal challenge and also because I think one person loves to collect all the badges and medallions.  I decided to do ones where I support the cause, such as the ones for Foodshare in April of this year and last September.  Usually their walk is in May, but of course last year's was postponed, and then they went virtual.  To keep people interested they set up a theme for every day of "Walk Week", and apparently I posted on Facebook but not here.  These are the outfits I wore:

The themes were:

• American Football, and I thought I'd be different so instead of my Bears T-shirt I wore my University of Chicago Big Ten Champions shirt.  Yes, it's been a while......
• The Yard Goats, the local minor league baseball team, since recent walks were hosted in their stadium.  I do not have anything by either them or the Hartford Whalers, so I wore my Cubs shirt.
• Past Foodshare Walks, and while I hadn't kept any of those (usually, I wore the shirt of my congregation, as we walked together, so I didn't have collectibles) the "Stronger Together" shirt was a Foodshare fundraiser.
• Local shirts, preferably for your town but this is all I have.  Love it!
• Fancy Friday - I wore the formal only for photography purposes and a bit of the workday, I definitely did NOT want to do the walk in it!  Especially as the day was warm and sticky. 

On June 26th I did this one:

It's hosted by The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri which has a VIP Veterans Packs program providing food and food and toiletries to over 400 veterans in twelve Missouri counties.  You could do it in a local park or virtually.  Of course, I wore something appropriate when I walked:

I also have a University of Chicago Alumni medal from our Virtual 5K which raised funds for the Odyssey Scholarships.  I also got a participation prize for posting a picture on social media.

Today's walk was for the Saint Andrews Society of Hawai'i.  A friend who is a badge collector is an officer of that organization, and it was a fundraiser, so why not?  I told her I'd try to wear a clan sash or something, but it was hot and sticky today, so I wore this:

It turns out I received an extra badge: Because I walked so much today, FitBit sent this:

Anniversary Redux

 A quick note to wish these people Happy Anniversary - I haven't been able to celebrate with them for the last two, but hopefully we can make up for it soon:

[My parents in NYC about twelve years ago, taken with a very poor quality flip-phone camera.]

Resolutions Report

Yes, I didn't get my end-of-month report up yesterday.  It was End Of Quarter at work, and we've been slammed for several days.  Plus my a/c is out and it's been in the high 90's (Farenheit) and I haven't felt much like playing with yarn.  I almost finished a UFO from last year, which is also in three colours, and since the heat wave is supposed to dissipate this weekend I'll get a photo and post in a few days.

Half Things

I meant to write yesterday, which is the true halfway of the month, but I didn't.  And today is my half-birthday, so I suppose it's appropriate to do the midmonth report today.

Strawberries arrived at the local farmstand and I've eaten my share; the second week's crop was better, more ripe, than the first.  I think asparagus is finally done and I didn't get to try all the recipes I'd found, but I made quite a few and mostly ate it steamed or boiled (when the stems were thicker) with a bit of spice or just butter.

The farmstand has a festival on the first full weekend of August, and I am debating whether to participate as an arts and crafter.  I could offer handdyed yarn and such.  Most of what I've made lately is designated for charity but I could finish a few things in case people want made goods.  It's hard to think of warm things in the heat of August, I know.

In another update, my tax refund arrived.  Now I have to get off the stump and talk to contractors, if any are available, about re-doing the bathrooms.  It was a plan for last year that was postponed, of course.

Midmonth Resolutions Report

I am making progress on the biography of Mary, Queen of Scots.  I think Antonia Fraser needed a stronger editor.  No progress on UFOs but good progress on a sweater for the orphanage, mostly from some Kureyon that I like the colours but there's a limit to how many sweaters I can make for myself, especially when I seem to gravitate towards certain colourways.  This way somebody will enjoy wearing it - I hope!  And I have the fun of using it for knitting.  The tricky bit is getting the balls to blend so there's a bit of cut-and-tie when one ends, to keep the sequence flowing.