Ice Storm

This morning I stepped outside, surprised
to see the trees embellished
in frosty finery -- all ready
for a winter ball. Each blade of grass
bedecked, bejewelled, the stubble 
of last year's corn transformed, limbs
heavy with sparkling sprigs and gemmed berries.

A lone pair of chattering birds discuss
the decor, bending their heads in search
of refreshment. The orchestra starts with
breeze as conductor, the delicate clacking
of crystalline leaves, like dowagers
snapping their fans in rebuke.

It is the deepest part of Winter, the pitch
black bottom of February, the world
reflecting the current gray despair...

Then, this! A delight! A gentle nudge
from our Mother, a sweet reminiscence
that in every season, in each unlikely moment,
there can be dazzling impossibility.

MFS 2/21/2018
#ilovemymother

Sportsing

Busy day today with both boys basketball games and then hours of standing at Ibby's track meet.  She ran in three events, but they were very spaced out...  Her relay team placed 3rd in the 4x800 so that was exciting!

Last Winter Orchestra Concert

When they were little, everything was firsts, but now it seems like last everything.  The orchestra played really well!  I'm going to miss going.  Lucinda is a senior, and Ibby has decided to quit orchestra next year.  I tried to talk her out of it, but once that girl decides something... she is definitely stubborn.  Those quiet ones always get you.

One Month Down

I decided to try doing a temperature blanket again this year.  My first attempt was last year and I made a few mistakes, that hopefully I learned from.  Mistake number one, was that I chose a stitch that was too large.  It soon became very apparent that my blanket was going to be humongous!  But I was already well into the process before I realized, so I plunged ahead and ended up stopping in May.  My second mistake was not realizing that even though we have extreme temperatures here, a lot of the time it hovers in the mid range so I had better like those colors -- a lot!  Last year, those colors between 50˚ and 70˚ were yellow and orange, which aren't the worst colors in the world, but there can definitely be too much of them.  They're better as highlights -- the center of a flower, for example, is just right.   

To solve the first problem I chose the smallest stitch I could find -- the linen stitch, or sometimes called the moss stitch.  It is basically smaller than a single crochet because the stitch goes down into the space in the previous row.  I also used a 4 mm hook which is smaller than I usually use.  My only worry at this point is that it's going to be too stiff!  But, we'll just have to see what happens!  That's how I like to live anyway.  Life is boring with too much certainty.  I did start and pull everything out at least twice before I fixed on a good width and hook size.  After the second time I even decided to measure and do actual math!  There is a first time for everything.  It should turn out to be a normal size for a human blanket which will be nice.

For the second problem, I decided to not use any yellow at all!  There, that was easy.  I still don't have my absolute ideal color palette, because I am trying to use up some excess yarn that is idling around the closet being useless, but it should be more pleasing this time around.  I am using Stylecraft DK and crocheting the high temperature that was reached each day.

less than 5˚- lobelia
5˚-19˚- lavender
20˚-34˚- turquoise
35˚-49˚- teal
50˚-64˚- grass
65˚-79˚- clematis
80˚-94˚- fuchsia
95˚+- currently undecided

So here is the first month:



New Year's day did not reach 5˚!  But we've managed to get above it the rest of the time -- and several days over 50˚!  Our weather is all over the place!  I can see how this would be a boring exercise in more temperate climes -- a risk I'm willing to take someday (hopefully), but for now, this is making the winter a little more exciting.