As the Spindle Turns . . .

I got the ice off the furnace pipes before it built up too much. I forgot to take the bat mesh off for winter. Brown bats get into the furnace ducts and into the house if there is no hardware cloth to keep them out. Truly we haven't had winter until this week. It is currently -25° C (about -13° F). This is a record for our area, especially this early in winter. The weather apps says it is much warmer but my thermometer doesn't lie. The wind is still howling. The arctic blast is coming from the south. It came from the arctic circle, looped down to Texas and is heading back north. It's warmer in NY state. They are getting flooding.

The coldest part of the house is the south side. The wind is coming right through. We just hung big thick curtains over the front window. Almost every window has a wool covering or blinds closed. We have had bubble wrap on the downstairs windows for years. It's a great insulator. (Also Thank Faun for that)

Mostly been watching the birds at the feeder. Today there were a lot of Juncos on the ground, a song sparrow, chickadees, and the resident titmouse. Our newcomer today was a house finch with a collar of lovely red feathers. The wind gusts were bad. The birds hugged the ground a lot. I don't know if they were drinking snow or were hoping for their favorite Lamb's Quarter seed. I'm pretty sure what they found was Lemon Balm seed. The Lamb's Quarter was totally devoured by the end of November. My plastic garden covers provided a little bit of a wind break while they scrounged. Once the weather warms on Monday, I'll check to make sure no bird got stuck.



Stay warm and safe!

while the snow comes down, I am sitting back and thinking of a verse we had to memorize in German class from Goethe:

Vom Eise befreit sind Strom und Bäche
durch des Frühlings holden belebenden Blick,
im Tale grünet Hoffnungsglück;
der alte Winter, in seiner Schwäche,
zog sich in rauhe Berge zurück.
Von dort her sendet er, fliehend, nur
ohnmächtige Schauer körnigen Eises
in Streifen über die grünende Flur.
Aber die Sonne duldet kein Weißes,
überall regt sich Bildung und Streben,
alles will sie mit Farben beleben;
doch an Blumen fehlt's im Revier,
sie nimmt geputzte Menschen dafür.
Kehre dich um, von diesen Höhen
nach der Stadt zurückzusehen!
Aus dem hohlen, finstern Tor
dringt ein buntes Gewimmel hervor.
Jeder sonnt sich heute so gern.
Sie feiern die Auferstehung des Herrn,
denn sie sind selber auferstanden:
aus niedriger Häuser dumpfen Gemächern,
aus Handwerks- und Gewerbesbanden,
aus dem Druck von Giebeln und Dächern,
aus den Straßen quetschender Enge,
aus der Kirchen ehrwürdiger Nacht
sind sie alle ans Licht gebracht.
Sieh nur, sieh! wie behend sich die Menge
durch die Gärten und Felder zerschlägt,
wie der Fluß in Breit und Länge
so manchen lustigen Nachen bewegt,
und, bis zum Sinken überladen,
entfernt sich dieser letzte Kahn.
Selbst von des Berges fernen Pfaden
blinken uns farbige Kleider an.
Ich höre schon des Dorfs Getümmel,
hier ist des Volkes wahrer Himmel,
zufrieden jauchzet groß und klein:
Hier bin ich Mensch, hier darf ich's sein!

From ice comes water and life and the hope of a lovely green spring made sweeter by the harshness of winter.

I had a plan, a clever plan. Inventory, load up the website, fix the schedule page, contact people about opportunities, maybe bake a little, clean the house. Very idyllic, even mundane, but enjoy my winter. Maybe even get the loom warped. Funny that, it always plays out better inside your head.

Last night I was up with my body until 3 am. I was born a barometer. My earliest memories are of the pain and my concerned parents rubbing my legs, thinking it was growing pains. It wasn't the muscles. It's just an ache. A storm came in with a pressure system and I hurt almost to tears. A doctor could look at me and say there is absolutely nothing wrong. Nothing is swollen. Nothing is lacking in any way. But the pain exists as long as the pressure gradients exist. The storm moved in today. I feel better. Nothing hurts at all. I probably should have been a sailor.

Today started very late indeed. Yesterday there were many problems. The van is having some issues. It has a leaky tire valve that gets worse in cold weather. The neighbor pumped it up. It's okay right now. The red battery light is a little more worrying. I charged the battery until the storm came in. It may need a new alternator. I am hoping its just a belt. It has to go through state inspection anyway. They can't see me until Wednesday. I need to get to the bank tomorrow because of the holiday on Monday. I have no trouble starting the vehicle even with the extreme cold. Maybe a bad sensor? Fingers crossed. Its a five mile hike to the bank if the van fails. I no longer have AAA.

Today started a knitting marathon. In November, it went like this,
" Mom, I missed the deadline for Arisia"
Apply anyway.
"I'm on a waiting list. I don't think I'll get in."
Why don't you try to get into Sugarloaf? They've a show at the end of January.
"Okay"

Nothing. Not a word. Then two tables open up at Arisia. Yay, a show and income for one of the hardest months of the year. Inventory finished, enough to start on hats for Arisia. I got four new ones done. Chronographia did many more. She heads off to sell at Arisia. She gets a message. Sugarloaf is next weekend. She'll get home from Boston on Tuesday very late. Thursday she must pack and do another big show. She got in! Only two other hat sellers at this one. Its a big show. She has one day to replace everything she sells at Arisia.

I have three of the patterns she designed. I get to be an apprentice this weekend and do as much knitting for her as I can so she can get hats finished in time for the show. Could be interesting. I wonder how many hat forms she has to shape all these on? Will there be enough time to adorn them all? Will they have time to dry even? Stay tuned. It's my bread and butter too. I have to make the car payment and the credit card payments. Well so much for my pipes dreams of watching snow fall gently down.