D24

D24 is here.  Let the games begin and nothing getting done for the next few months.  Mom brought a fish in this morning and began to munch away.  Usually dad brings in the food and he always eats the  head.  Mom did a few nestorations with dad glaring at her because dad does the nestorations; and he finally let her take over nest cup duties.  Welcome D24.

Indian Corn and Black Cherry Froot Loops

Loopy Academy Spring Semester for Yarn requires:  1) a pair of toe up or cuff down socks, whichever you do the least (toe up for me) using over 225 yards; 2) a solid/tonal yarn and variegated using over 225 yards; and 3) a twisted stitch using over 225 yards. 

I love Indian Corn, it is the candy corn with the brown end instead of the yellow. I like it better because the brown end tastes like cocoa.  I kept a sock theme for this semester.  I think socks should be fun.  I don't get those people who use variegated yarn and stress over the fact that their socks don't match, well then use plain yarn.  There was not enough of the 2 skeins to make them as long as I like or make what I had planned, so my total opposite socks.  I love them and will wear them this Fall.

 My twisted stitch is socks again.  The pattern can be found on Knitty.com, look for Froot Loops.  I like Fruit Loops Cereal and so I thought I needed a pair of Fruit Loops socks as well. 

Last but not least are my niece's birthday socks.  The yarn is the Opal Harry Potter colorways.  This color is Harry.  I don't like the red and just did a plain 2x2 rib. 

Singing in the Snow

We had 5.3" of snow this winter. Now that it is Spring, it is snowing today.  Yesterday it was 77 and we quite the spring storm last night.  But this morning it has dropped 40 degrees and it is snowing.  This morning I heard a bird close by singing and found one of my Mr Cardinals singing just outside my window.  He was singing his little heart out.

 These were the clouds last night after the rain quit, kind of eerie as the lightning was barely visible through the darker clouds.  Yes there was a tornado warning just north of us and the sky did get that eerie green color at one point during the rain. 

Spring is Here

My jonquils

 

I don't know what these are, but they are very small and pretty

My bleeding heart amongst sticks that need to be pulled out

 

M yellow rosebush

My orange daylilies

Dandelion and henbit

My pink rosebush that almost bit the dust last year but it was not ready to go yet.

 

Happy Pi Day

What is your favorite pie?  I like pie more than cake, probably because I don't have pie that often and there are so many flavors going on with the crust, filling and topping and then of course there is always the ice cream.  I don't like my pie warm though.  I think my fav is rhubarb, gooseberry, pecan, and strawberry.  I am not fond of the cream pies, apple, or cherry.  I like pumpkin once a year and the rest of the berry pies I like as well.  I was just at the store thinking they would have single pieces of pie for today;  but no, what is up with that?  I think I might make myself a mini pie today, I know I have rhubarb in the freezer and blueberries and strawberries and blackberries.  Hmmmm what kind shall I make?

RIP Nancy Reagan

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/03/06/nancy-reagan-widow-ronald-reagan-dead-at-94.html?intcmp=hpbt1

D26

D26 came into the world last Thursday.  The nest cup is so deep you can not see the eggs, so I can not get a picture.  We almost missed witnessing mom laying this egg as the camera went off for a few minutes.  When it came back on she was chirping and having contractions..  Whew that was close.  So now we wait for D24 to hatch in a few weeks. 

D20 Update

D20's training is underway.  He looks good. 

http://soarraptors.org/2016/02/time-on-the-bow-perch/

D25

D25 entered the world Sunday night at 7:47pm nest time.  Mom looked plumb tuckered when done and basically went into a trance for about half an hour. This year she seems to have a harder labor than last year.  We have all been freaking out because the eggs are left uncovered for long periods of time like 70 minutes last night..  However, it has been 40-50 degrees warmer at night than usual for this time of year at Decorah.  I know mom and dad know what they are doing but we humans worry and so we shall see how the eggs do in 35 days.  So will D26 enter the world tomorrow night?  Only time will tell.  I have been trying to get a good picture of both eggs but the nest cup is so deep it is hard to see the eggs. 

D24

Thousands of people welcomed D24 into the world last night at 8:28 nest time.  Mom kept us waiting for about 3 hours but those that have been here before know the signs.  I have never heard her chirp so much and it appeared it took her longer but the season has started.  How many eggs will we have this year, 3 is the norm.  Welcome D24, we await your siblings and your hatches.  Let the season begin.

Nest Bowl

No it is not a new football game.  The Decorah nest bowl is forming nicely.  Dad will shimmy himself into the soft grasses where the eggs are laid and hatched.  This morning you can really see the form taking shape, wont be long now before people across the world are holding their breath for that first egg.  It is almost time and the new cameras will give us a better view as well as the new nest with lots of possibilities for this year's hatch.  With my new TV i can connect my computer to the TV and watch the miracles come alive on the big screen.  Come join me as we invite new eaglets into the world.

Double Stitch, Rings, and Picots

I had my first tat class this evening. There is only one stitch, a double stitch.  Then you can make rings with picots and other fun things.  So here is my learnings for the evening.  There were 14 in class anywhere from about 12 to 80.  It is fun and I always like learning new things,  Now I only hope in the morning I remember what I learned.  I found some flowers and butterflys I thought might be pretty hanging on walls.

Mrs. Wilson's Knitting Circle

Mrs Wilson's Knitting Circle lecture today was mostly a philosophical one, why do we have war, will we ever have peace, what changes did our country undergo, etc.  Some of the things we got from WWI are trenchcoats, wristwatches, medicines to combat new diseases, wireless communication, etc.  
One of the huge changes was for France.  During the war they lost 1 out of every 3 men and many others were inured so much they could not do much.  This put a damper on the next generation as there were not that many men to populate future generations.  This may be why France is so reluctant to get into any war ever.

The pattern we received today was a woman's pullover from wool.  The collar, cuffs and girdle balls were made from angora.  The tie around the sweater looked more like a pointed scarf with the angora balls that looked like a driedel.  The patterns are interesting to read because the gauge is so off from today. I have to wonder what the weight of the yarn was as well as the size of the needle.  The pattern calls for casting on 75 stitches with a size 5 needle for the back.  I don't think that would fit most women today.

I love to go the lectures and get patterns from 100 years ago.  So much history to learn.  If you ever get a chance to go to the museum you should take the day, there is so much they went through just to try to survive.