Nature Study Monday: White-Throated Sparrow

The White-Throated Sparrow is a rather infrequent visitor to our backyard.  In fact, this shot may have been the only time I have seen one of these in our midst.  This creature has especially distinguished facial markings (the streaks of yellow, white and black make it hard to confuse with other backyard birds).

The birds can be found all over Canada in the spring and summer, and, lucky for us, they spend their winters in the Northeast, mostly in woodlands but they can only be found in wooded suburbs (like ours) as well.  They build their nests on the ground and spend most of thir time on the ground foraging for nuts, seeds and berries.

Yarn Along

Joining Ginny again today for the Yarn Along...

After nearly eight years of knitting, I have finally resolved to knit something for myself.  And a sweater, no less.  This sweater.  The weather in these parts definitely calls for a sweater, and not of the zip-up, sweat-shirty sort.  I have a few of those; I wear them all too often.  So with this in mind, I am going to be taking care of Mama by keeping her warm and stylish at the same time (err--hopefully, my gauge is looking off right now).

I am still creeping through Winter World, although my slow pace does not at all reflect my enjoyment of the reading.  How wonderful it is to discover the winter lives of the animals that he writes of.  Caterpillars survive Maine winters on tree branches?   There are varying degrees of hibernation that animals drift in and out of?  It is a somewhat humbling, completely fascinating read.

Coming Untangled

I began the process of sorting through my yarn collection, of untangling strings that have been bound together for some years now, of separating, of thinning out, of grouping yarns of the same weight or manufacturer together.  I tell you, this endeavor felt like such a metaphor for our lives.  With three moves within a year and a half (two of those across the country) and a whole lot of emotional and physical unrest, we are just now (a few months shy of a year since our last move) starting to feel grounded in our house and in our skin.

There are so many, many things I have been wanting to tend to since all the moving/shifting/unsettling began but most days I felt as though we were just getting by, just putting another day behind us.   But things have began to settle for us and some of those forgotten projects are now getting some attention.

The sense of accomplishment I am getting from little things like untangling my stash of yarn and categorizing it on Ravelry is almost comical.  I have even gotten a label-maker (and boy oh boy do I love my labels?!). How horrified my twenty-five year-old self would be at this thirty-six year-old me. Oh, but it feels good to be in my own skin, better than it has felt in a long time.  Now for those baby books...

Nature Study Monday: Dark-eyed Junco

Oh Dark-eyed Junco, I am smitten with you.  You are so much prettier than your name.  The contrast between the deep grey of your back and the whiteness of your belly, the blackness of your eyes, the fluff of your feathers--it is all working quite well, feathery friend.

I have a fellow novice bird watching friend who spotted these flocking close to her home.  I had neither seen not heard of them until I saw one a few days later in our own backyard.

Juncos are mostly ground birds.  The flights they do take are generally short and close to the ground.  Around northeastern parts, they stay all year round.  Those that live in Canada travel south for the winter. Males tend to have more dramatic markings--my guess is that the one pictured is a male.  Once and male and a female junco mate, they build a nest on the ground, sometimes near the base of a large, coniferous tree for shelter.

Please come back for a visit soon and bring some friends, Dark-eyed Junco.  I will feed you, I promise.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  Amanda Soule

Winter Unfolded

I have been living in anticipation of winter for so long that it is almost hard for me to believe that it is here.  And the best part is, I am enjoying it more this year than ever have before.  

Being from a warmer climate, the Northeast winters are something of a mystery to me.  I have lived here for almost eight years, and it is only now that I understand that whenever, I mean whenever I go outside, even if it is only to take out the trash or dump the compost, I must wear a coat if it is in January or February.  I do not know why it is has taken me so long to grasp that concept but I have finally gotten it.

As a result, I am enjoying the blustery outdoors a whole lot more--the icicles, the shots of red in seas of white, the enveloping layer of warmy white over almost everything--all of it reminds me of the wonders this world offers forth at any given moment in time.  How blessed we are, all of us.

Yarn Along

Joining Ginny again today for the Yarn Along...

I have found so much solace as of late in my knitting and reading so the mere idea of this post brings me peace.  I used to save my knitting for the late night hours, leaving it untouched while the kids are rustling about.  Then I did some reading and thinking about the importance of surrounding our children with the "work" of living, of showing them how to care thoughtfully for what we have and for them to witness the particular love that goes into making a garment for them.  So the bulk of my knitting is still done at night when our home is quiet except for the clicking of my needles (and, err, thirtysomething reruns) in the background and I do pick it up for a row here and there during the rustling about hours.

Right now I am solidly in the middle of the On-the Goveralls for our youngest.  I made them in a 2T (he is a big 18 months) but it looks like these are sizing large.  He might be in them next winter rather than this one but I am keeping my fingers crossed for a couple wears this winter.

I am still reading The Skylark Sings with Me and Winter World and am planning to start Louise Bates Ames' Your Four Year Old and Your Five Year Old this week as I have a new 5 year old and a soon to be four year old.