Recycling works. In years past it was easy to scavenge sea glass from the sand in the cove.
Not this year. It’s slim pickings. I only found one piece of clear (the most common) this morning.
This is my bounty for the week. And I was hoping to make some jewelry.
Mostly interesting rocks. It is not due to lack of crashing surf.
Back to knitting, weaving and braiding.
It’s a jungle out there. We hear coyotes most nights, deer snack on our shrubs, rabbits keep the driveway clean of clover and greens, and I am not sure what the snakes do, except cause me to let out a shout whenever I see them.
Summer is flying by with so much pent up activity taking place. But at the same time the Delta variant is surging. Stay safe, get vaccinated.
Our wildflower patch turned out to be mostly black eyed susans, which are pretty nonetheless. The honeybees aren’t interested. Our untended field is just as pretty.
We clearly needed a vacation from our busy schedule. Tim booked a little cabin on Lake George and we brought Sparky along for the ride.
We swim when we can and are just chillin’, sometimes literally. I’m wearing a wool cap this morning. I decided to try my hand at jewelry making this trip. It’s another hobby that travels well.
It is surprisingly relaxing just getting out of your own environment. There are no overhanging chores waiting, so the mind can wander: watching ducks, looking at clouds, and taking daytime naps.
And there’s always another boat ride on Sparky.
This little loom has traveled around the world with me. It is so compact because I am part of the loom.
It is made up of a “C” clamp, a backstrap, which is, like it says, a strap that goes around my back, cards and me. My backstrap is a little crooked but it was my first attempt at weaving without a loom from an article by Laverne Waddington and holds a special place in my heart. I encourage you to look at the amazing pieces she creates with only a backstrap and dowels!
I can recall my long gone cats wandering around as I sat on the floor weaving it. A Swedish modification is the two pieces of wood on a wire I use to attach it to me and my backstrap. My modification is I no longer sit on the floor. I can always find a place to attach or tie the end of my weaving.
Those square cards are what make this a four shaft loom for card weaving.
This little device has brought me hours of fun wherever we may be. I needed a diversion last week so took it out of the drawer and wove a tencel band from a photo I saw on Pinterest.
Now what to do with it?
I have fished off and on my whole life and, except for a few baitfish, have never caught anything. That record holds. I’ve been going to a local spot a couple of times a week and have decided fishing is a lot like gambling: if I use this lucky bait; one more cast before I leave; that spot looks better. Still a loser or viewed another way, the fish are winners. But it is a beautiful spot and this week I appreciated its reflections.
I know there are fish in the pond because a few weeks ago, a man gave me five trout he caught there.
At least I made a new friend.
My new lucky lures arrive this week. How can I miss with “Trout Magnets”?
I’m a good isolation buddy. I am easily amused and find plenty of things to keep me occupied. I have time to tackle a lot of long term projects. I went through all my photos and placed a lot of them under the glass on my desk blotter.
Although it’s harder to find things that drop on the desk, it makes me smile every time I see it. Lots of memories.
A zipper broke on a favorite fleece vest so I decided to weave another band (it also made the vest a little bigger) to insert a new zipper. Tickled pink with it.
We’ve been spending about every other night in the cabin and I did a lot of the sewing by candle light.
It hasn’t stopped us from streaming our movies and I sleep like a baby with rain falling on the metal roof and coyotes howling nearby. Somehow it seems like all is right with the world.
But it’s not. We had family members affected downstate by The Virus, one critical, and it seems like a ventilator at Stony Brook hospital saved at least one life. I and everyone I know are having lots of emotional swings. I find long walks and staying connected any way I can to friends and families helps. Both of my kids have had video virtual gatherings with friends where they got all dressed up and chatted from home.
I embarked on a new adventure. I am going to keep bees. I got dressed up myself. My empty hive parts arrived last week and have applied the first coat of stain. Today I began putting wax foundations in the hive frames. I need another coat of stain and then wait for the bees to arrive.
I’m almost ready. Better learn how to use the smoker first.
In the meantime, I cook. Tim gets basically anything he asks for. So far on request, I have made donuts, apple pie, English muffins,
cream caramel, lasagna, salmon, fresh pasta, potato pancakes, and today, roast chicken and Anzac biscuits.
It warms our hearts to eat biscuits that I first made during our first time on Deal Island in 2011. A lifetime ago.
Stay well.
Happens all the time on islands and I wish that was where we were now. Gale force winds, high seas make travel impossible. Today… It’s sunny out, the wind is calm and travel is impossible. I feel like I am in a bubble waiting for a huge wave to pass over my head or for a fireball to go screaming past. Lack of testing means we will never know how many cases are nearby in our rural community but the bubble won’t last for long. Just got word that I won’t be seeing patients in the office for a while.
On the other hand, we are accomplished, self-isolators. There is plenty to keep us both occupied when we are not singing happy birthday and washing our hands. Tim built a beautiful bed for the guest room based on one we slept in at White Pine Camp. I helped. He coached me when I had to cut down the trees for it last winter when he had a broken wrist. (I made the quilt too, but that’s old news).
I finished a bag I had been crocheting for months
and started a new sweater. The kindle is loaded with good books, the wood box is full and I get to cook three meals a day.
Just like when we are on deserted islands.
Island and North Country Life 