The Beginning of the Sky Scarf

After about a four year hiatus, I've recently gotten back into crocheting. One of my new projects is called a sky scarf. Essentially, you knit or crochet a scarf with 365 rows. Each row represents the color of the sky for each day for a full year. I think it is a lovely way to capture a bit of the outdoors to wear and bring with you anywhere. It's almost like a yarn version of a weather journal. It's also a great way to get into the habit of just looking up and appreciating the sky and all its lovely hues a little more often.

Below is a photo of the sky scarf that inspired this project. Because mine will be crocheted instead of knit, it will look quite a bit different, but I am hopeful that it will be equally beautiful.

I decided to try this project a few months ago when I first found the photo and idea on Pinterest. I found a bargain on some nice soft yarn in various blues and greys and ordered it in November. At the end of the year, I spent a few days messing around with various stitch combinations to find one that is a little bit more interesting than your standard single crochet. 

Beginning January 1, 2012, I began recording the color of the sky in a little pocket calendar. That way, I don't have to sit down and crochet one row each day. After I record the colors for several days (or weeks or maybe even months), I can sit down and crochet a bunch of rows at once. Of course, the sky changes color many times during the course of one day, so the color choice for each day is a bit subjective. However, there is usually one color that seems to dominate or that really speaks to me because I was outside at that particular time and the day just left the impression of being grey or white or bright blue. Today, for instance was blue but with some wispy white clouds and chillier than previous days. Thus, I've deemed it to be a very pale blue day.

So far, we are nine days into the year and I've crocheted up the first eight rows of the scarf. I like how the stitch pattern I picked results in an overlapping, almost checkerboard sort of pattern. I'm excited to keep going with it, and I hope that I can stick with it through all of 2012. I promise to post updates as I move forward with this project! I'm not someone that's really big on New Year's resolutions, but I suppose that is my resolution for 2012... to remember to note the sky color each day and complete an entire 366-day sky scarf.

Chilly, wonderful days

We've had an extraordinary number of cold, clear, dry days lately. I have loved every minute of it. It really feels like Christmas to me when it is cold but sunny. Some of my favorite Christmas memories are of riding in the open Model T on a sunny Christmas day with chilly air blasting my face and whipping my hair around.  

For the past few weeks our nighttime lows have been in the mid-thirties with highs ranging from mid-fifties up to even upper sixties over the past weekend. We sometimes get some really thick, icy fog in the early mornings that seems to penetrate through any and all clothing, but the daytimes are beautifully sunny with hardly a wisp of cloud. Besides, everything is just so much easier when it's not raining. Battling holiday traffic would be much worse in the rain.

This morning, the day after the shortest of the year, was our coldest morning yet. It was 28 degrees when I left for the BART station at 6:30am. Luckily, I heard the freeze warning on the radio last night and actually covered our lime tree for once. It has a number of fruit that I hope will survive the cold.

On my drive to the BART station, I was surprised by one of the most beautiful skies I have ever seen. It was just before dawn and, as I drove over a hill, I had a wonderful view of Mt. Diablo. The sun was not up yet, but the sky was very clear and the horizon was just beginning to show beautiful hues of orange, red, and purple. Hanging over Mt. Diablo were the moon and a few still-bright stars. It was one of those moons where you see not only the lit crescent, but also the clear outline of the dark portion of the moon. The moon, stars, and line of the horizon were so incredibly crisp and clear. It was one of the most beautiful skies I've ever witnessed, and I wished I could stay and admire the view instead of heading to work.

A friend posted the following poem by Aileen Fisher on her fantastic blog (http://our-little-library.blogspot.com/) and I instantly fell in love with it. Even if we don't have snow, the poem seems very appropriate for this beautiful, crisp, winter day just before Christmas. 

December

I like days
with a snow-white collar,
and nights when the moon
is a silver dollar,
and hills are filled
with eiderdown stuffing
and your breath makes smoke
like an engine puffing.

I like days
when feathers are snowing,
and all the eaves
have petticoats showing,
and the air is cold
and the wires are humming,
but you feel all warm...
with Christmas coming.

The wonderful weather is expected to continue through the holiday weekend, which makes me very happy. I'm looking forward to hosting Christmas at our house for the first time. In case I don't get a chance to post again before Sunday, Merry Christmas to all and best wishes for 2012! 

So close!

A couple mornings ago my husband was taking the dogs out for their early morning walk. As he opened the door, he saw one of the Great Horned Owls perched on the railing of our deck. It took off as MO and the dogs came out of the house. I'm terribly jealous that I didn't get to see it, and surprised that the owl would perch so close to our house, our front door, and our dogs. Perhaps we'll have more chances at close encounters like this again in the future.


All I can say is that between the owls, hawks, coyotes, and foxes, I'm glad we don't have small dogs or cats. I would worry about their safety with so many predators around. A 135 lb dog (Bo Bo) probably isn't too much of a target. And Miss Pants at 75 lb would be pretty hard to carry off as well. I think they're probably safe.

Winter Garden

The hubs and I got the winter garden going this week. MO turned the soil in our raised beds and added new top soil. I did a little research on the best crops for the Bay Area this time of year and went shopping for starts and seeds. I came home from the nursery with more starts than I expected. Perhaps winter gardening is getting more popular now. I bought six-pack cells of two varieties of broccoli, celery, a red leaf lettuce, kale (similar to a dinosaur kale), and rainbow chard. 


MO planted them all yesterday and today. It turned out after all that we really didn't have any room for our radish, carrot, and onion seeds. We can save those for later in the winter/spring. I can't wait to have some wonderfully crisp broccoli, fresh from the garden.


After finishing the planting, MO repaired our drip system that experienced a few breaks near the end of the summer. If you're keeping track, you'll notice that MO did the vast majority of the work. I probably left a couple of steps out, too. Thanks, honey! AJ and I will appreciate our lovely veggies when they are ready.

Does a Bigger Zoom Mean Greater Appreciation for the Outdoors?

Well, perhaps not, but a new camera with a bigger zoom does mean I can better share some wonderful outdoor moments with friends and family.

My last little point-and-shoot camera had a 7x optical zoom and was really on its last legs. Ever since a long fall courtesy of my 18-month-old daughter, the battery cover won't stay closed any more. Even with tape, it still has to be held closed with a finger just so in order to take photos, view them, or transfer them to the computer. It was also starting to do funny things in bright-light or back-lit conditions.

For my birthday, my lovely husband gave me a new camera. It is still a point-and-shoot (for its small size, ease of use, and friendlier price point), but this one is definitely a step up from my previous camera. I am now the proud owner of a 16x optical zoom! I can't believe what a difference this makes. The camera also seems more responsive, blurs moving images less, and has a couple of neat features like auto background defocus.

I spent some time playing with it over the long Thanksgiving weekend and will share some of my favorite shots here. I'll try to keep them to outdoor/nature shots, but of course I have to slip in a few of our cute little toddler. :)

In the mornings, we took the dogs to play in the Santa Ynez River. Miss Pants (a nickname) loves being in the water and chasing after rocks. Bo Bo (also a nickname) prefers not to get his face wet and would rather stand on the sidelines or wade in ankle-deep water.

The vineyards along the road to the river were beautiful.

We took our daughter, AJ, to Solvang the day after Thanksgiving. It was a beautiful day, but the place was packed. We all managed to have a good time despite the crowds and I got a few good shots of the interesting architecture.

We visited Ostrichland in Beullton on the way to dinner at AJ Spurs. The ostriches were very impressive and, frankly, a little intimidating.

Oma and Opa agreed to babysit while my husband and I got out for some wine tasting in the Santa Rita Hills appellation. The shot below was at Babcock winery. I love the fall colors of the vines this time of year, and it's always so interesting to me that the different grape varietals change colors at different rates and in different shades. It makes for a lovely patchwork quilt of colors across the hills.

My husband had an opportunity to learn how to drive my dad's 1926 Model T Ford. He did a pretty good job. I spent my time taking photos of the T and house while playing with the auto background defocus.

Our daughter, AJ, had a great time visiting Oma and Opa. She especially liked riding in her pedal car.

A Hoot in the Night

Ever since we moved into our house nearly eight years ago, we've had owls living in the surrounding trees that call out with their gentle hoots nearly every night. At the beginning, we would only hear them and could never catch sight of them. We would listen to their calls when we were outside at night or when we had our bedroom window open during warm weather. We knew there were at least two owls that would often sit on opposite sides of the road and call back and forth to each other. 

It took a couple of years before we caught glimpses of them, but even then, it was at night as they were silently flying over our heads during hunting expeditions. So, with just the hoot to go on, we had a tough time identifying what species they were. Then, last spring, the pair of owls nested in a tree across the street from us. As the pair cared for their young, we began to see them more and more. They were hunting earlier and earlier in the evening. We also began to see three fledglings coming out of the nest to sit on a tree branch and wait for mom and dad to bring meals. They were so cute and fluffy. They sure made a ruckus with all their screeching and squawking, too. We looked forward to seeing them every evening.

Eventually, we got enough good looks at the adults to confirm through both their appearance and the sound of their hoots that they are Great Horned Owls. One evening in July, the pair was out actively hunting during twilight and I was able to capture a few photos. The first photo below is the best and closest shot of an owl I could get with the measly zoom on my camera. The second one shows both adults. The first is taking off from the tree and the second is still sitting in the tree, just to the right of the flying owl.

After the young owls fledged and left the nest, somewhere around September, the adults disappeared, too. For the first time in years, we weren't hearing hoots at night. Then, just before Thanksgiving, the adult owls came back. Or at least, I presume it was the same pair, but I really can't be sure. Last night the pair was having quite a conversation back and forth over the hill. When I went outside early this morning the conversation continued. Perhaps they were talking all night. Their soft hoots are such a pleasant sound; I am truly grateful that they have returned to our neighborhood.  I wonder where they went and what they were doing while they were gone. I also wonder what prompted them to return.

No matter the reason,  I am very glad they are back, and I hope they are able to breed again this coming spring so that we can experience the joy of seeing more little owls make their way into the world.

The Naturalist Datebook

I've been listening to the Martha Stewart channel on Sirius radio a lot lately. This week has been absolutely captivating because regular programming has been suspended in order to hold the annual Thanksgiving Hotline. Who knew hours and hours of expert chefs giving callers advice on Thanksgiving dishes could be so interesting?


One of my favorite things about Martha's channel is "The Naturalist Datebook". It's a very short segment recorded each day by Marion Roach Smith. It plays several times a day, and I look forward to it each time. The segment usually opens with the date, moon phase, and some snippet of almanac-like weather report, such as the places that might receive their first frost of the year that day. The rest of the datebook could be about any nature-related subject from astronomy to entomology to gardening. Today's report commemorated the anniversary of the opening of the Smithsonian Hall of Mammals. Ms. Roach Smith provided a small tribute to mammals by listing every known species of shrew. It was a long list. A bit odd, perhaps, but just fun and educational every day. 


I love the closing of the segment. At the end of each spot, Ms. Roach Smith says, "Look around. Write it down. And keep your eye on nature." Even if I can't manage to do it on a daily basis, that's exactly what I'd like to do with this blog.