tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:01:34 +0000Thoughts and observations from life around the riverrim....including spinning, weaving, knitting, gardening, chickens, rabbits and whatever wild life wanders by.....http://riverrim.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (cyndy)Blogger581125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-22529540933114325Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:28:00 +00002009-07-06T10:36:25.228-04:00spinningalpacaThe sun has not been shining much on the riverrim, but the skies opened up over the weekend..and ....oh my... Fresh cool breezes made time in the garden very pleasurable. The broccoli and currants are keeping me busy. In the late afternoon, the wheel is taken out to the deck and I'm glad to sit down for a few moments and ply the singles that I spun on the CPW...the bobbin turned out 196 yards http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/07/shine.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-4364764210558069707Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:36:00 +00002009-07-03T08:39:35.134-04:00off topicgarden The daylilies are putting on a big show with a fabulous burst of color in the garden. My kind of fireworks! Have a safe and happy 4th of July !!!http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/07/bees-eye-view.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-4410172043701317785Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:50:00 +00002009-07-01T22:06:52.144-04:00birdsalpaca I'm mostly certain that this raven has a fairy in its mouth. What I'm not certain about is why. You don't think it is going to eat the fairy, do you? I've seen these types of fairies by the river before, usually they are kind that rides on the back of the dragonflies. You don't believe me, do you? Moments in the morning are spent prepping Alpaca for the evening spin. I've been filling the http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/07/raven.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-3460986666424735711Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:11:00 +00002009-07-01T22:12:42.353-04:00phenological eventsJune 2009 1st- harvesting rhubarb radish & lettuce 3rd- hellgramites morph 8th- plant beans 9th- big rain & thunder 12th- harvesting rabe 15th- apples size of golf balls 17th- second planting of corn beans and lettuce 20th- roses bloom 24th- elders bloom 26th- currents ripen 27th- harvesting peas 28th- blackberries bloom http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/06/phenological-events-june-2009.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-9106881970609454500Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:02:00 +00002009-06-29T16:20:39.617-04:00garden harvestgarden The peas are starting to come in now. It is a good year for peas..I eat most of them fresh, along with the tendrils...in salads. They are tender and taste so good! These are dwarf snap that I planted in April. I also have a row of Norli that I planted for my seed bank. They are only about 2 inches high right now. Yesterday afternoon I picked peas. Some of them make it into the steamer, and http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/06/peas-please.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-1052930780229199819Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:40:00 +00002009-06-28T19:48:35.454-04:00observationsoff topic"now gentle flower, I pray thee tell..." "...he loves me, he loves me lots..." "...the decision of the flower..."http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/06/effeuiller-la-marguerite.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-8365392492419520765Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:47:00 +00002009-06-18T09:24:33.311-04:00spinning wheels Over the past few weeks, I have met some interesting spinning wheels in my travels. It is of no coincidence that all of these wheels are made to spin flax. I am lately fixated with flax and flax wheels... This first one (above) was made by Enoch Slossen Williams, sometime between 1820 and 1830. It lives at the Old Mill Village Museum. It was repaired by the late Bill Ralph, in 1996. It is an http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/06/wheels-in-my-path.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-2137589764772039147Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:45:00 +00002009-06-09T12:49:57.877-04:00observationsoff topic this past weekend found me in the city. each time i visit a city, it is startling to realize how fast the overall pace of living can be there. my senses where overwhelmed, there is so much to see and experience in the city... the sights and sounds and smells are so different from what i have become accustomed to in the country. i did have a wonderful time seeing loved ones and celebrating--http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/06/on-becoming-idiom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-4773110226469588606Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:31:00 +00002009-06-05T09:41:28.678-04:00spinningspinning wheels little finnsheep lambs greeting the women... The visit from the PA WAgN, (or Pennsylvania Women's Agricultural Network) went very well. We had beautiful weather, and a terrific group of people that travelled a good distance across the state of PA to come to the Hatton Farm. After the sheep presentation, it was my pleasure to introduce some of them to spinning on a Great Wheel. I was feeling http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/06/day-with-pa-wagn.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-5929899190555577318Sun, 31 May 2009 20:25:00 +00002009-05-31T16:32:21.151-04:00wildlifegarden The garden is almost "in". This past weekend, the corn and squash were planted, now all that remains are the beans. We have been spending a lot of time in the garden. The bearded irises...or flags..were waving to me all the while. The blossoms are large this year, most all of them are larger than my palm. Their beards are full.. The signals, defined. Across the street, this http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/05/flags.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-5935912173990464628Tue, 26 May 2009 14:25:00 +00002009-05-27T20:06:46.230-04:00alpacabuttons This is Allspice. This is the fleece that was shorn from the back of Allspice. This is the crimp that grew in the fleece, that was shorn from the back of Allspice. This is a sample of yarn that was spun, with the crimp that grew, in the fleece that was shorn from the back of Allspice. It is all about the process for me! Where exactly does it start? What will it become? Working with http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-it-starts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-4065046068784971607Wed, 20 May 2009 16:56:00 +00002009-06-09T12:57:49.111-04:00phenological eventsphenological events May 2009 1st- humming birds 2nd- tree swallows oriels arrive 3rd- spot tomato starts 7th- harvest asparagus cat birds at jellybar 12th- wood frogs cedar waxwings 14th- gypsymoth hatch 18th- harvest rhubarb 20th- crabapples set fruit 21st- helicopter spray Gypsy 25th- transplant tomato 26th- bearded iris bloom 28th- grapes set fruit 29th- plant http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/05/phenological-events-may-2009.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-2649210597719453947Sun, 17 May 2009 23:42:00 +00002009-05-17T19:58:19.060-04:00walk with me WednesdayobservationsEarlier this week, when I was out walking, I fell. I was walking along the river near the old canal wall...in a mossy area. I was admiring the blue violets, and looking for certain insects that should be hatching out about this time of year. My footing was secure, but the riverrim was not. I was walking on the bank, when suddenly, the mossy earth beneath my foot gave way, and my leg went http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/05/falling-for-smooth-solomans-seal.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-5464900560419194555Thu, 14 May 2009 19:41:00 +00002009-05-14T15:47:38.646-04:00weatheralpaca What an amazing world we live in. We have cameras that let us look at things our eyes would never be able to see by themselves. We can look inside the human body, and we can look outside to the universe. Cameras and images let us learn so many important things about ourselves and our world. I am grateful today for cameras and their images...for the folks that invent them, and those that know http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/05/taking-pictures.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-6138253254981233131Tue, 05 May 2009 12:46:00 +00002009-05-05T08:50:34.138-04:00wildlife Glad this isn't my backyard! This isn't even my photograph, but it was sent to me by my friend Judy who lives down river. The photo was taken nearby and is a "heads up!" warning to me that the bears around here are waking up. Time to tie bells to my walking stick, and carry my pocket air horn. They are probably hungry when they wake up. Should you want to stop by Judy's blog and see more http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/05/dumpster-dive-or-teddy-bears-picnic.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-8443371397326001650Sun, 03 May 2009 21:32:00 +00002009-05-03T17:35:52.859-04:00spinning shetlandgarden No hospital corners on the sheets here, just flower and vegetable beds. The seedlings are ready to come out of the "nursery" and get "tucked in" to their beds. We have been getting things ready, doing repairs, tweeking the soil...making sure everything is "just right". Here is a photo of the "broccoli bed". The seedlings look so small out here in the wide open! I used to protect them from http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/05/making-bed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-5897143828402634085Fri, 01 May 2009 03:52:00 +00002009-05-03T17:53:41.987-04:00phenological eventsphenological events April 2009 1st- frogs seen growing beards 3rd- garden bonfire 8th- spot broccoli starts 12th - amphibian eggs in pools 15th- ruby-crowned kinglet warbler migration begins 18th- caddis fly hatch on river 19th- toads in garden wasps start building nests 21st- mayapples appearhttp://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/04/phenological-events-april-2009.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-7099678474287053006Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:36:00 +00002009-04-30T10:41:15.161-04:00birdswildlife There is yellow along the riverrim. It takes the form of forsythia.... and there are marsh marigolds, daffodils and dandelions, colts foot,wood sorrels...buttercups and yellow violets..all the springtime yellows. Several different spring wood warblers wear yellow. One of the things I like most about living in the woods--the spring wood warbler migration--is starting to happen. In the http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/04/yellows.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-6432650344527363593Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:57:00 +00002009-04-24T09:29:25.745-04:00etsy Anne saw these tulipwood buttons in my etsy shop, and inquired as to if I had nine of them available. I didn't, and had to go wood stash diving in an attempt to find some tulipwood that had a color and grain similar to it. Exotic woods, (and native woods) are very interesting to study. The color and grain of a single species can vary from piece to piece. Things like soil type and rain fall, http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/04/riverrim-etsy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-4888985242641876754Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:29:00 +00002009-04-23T10:04:53.240-04:00weathergarden The forsythia tell me that I need to plant my peas.(done) They are an indicator plant for me.... phenology indicators.... The lilacs give a lot of information. When the first leaves show up, it is time to plant the potatoes (done). One must also factor in the moon...(planting above ground crops on a waxing moon, and below ground crops on a waning moon) When these lilacs finally bloom, it http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/04/timing-indicators.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-6944438007148018654Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:48:00 +00002009-04-17T09:12:30.751-04:00off topicI found this on Valerie's blog this morning...and had to play. I was surprised at how spot on the answers were! I have my own comments in italics below: cyndy, your hemispheric dominance is equally divided between left and right brain, while you show a moderate preference for auditory versus visual learning, signs of a balanced and flexible person. well, thank you...(?)I think... Your http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/04/brain-test-too.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-4873238082306812701Wed, 15 Apr 2009 22:33:00 +00002009-04-15T18:57:06.859-04:00walk with me Wednesdaygarden "If you are looking for me, I'll be in the greenhouse". My Brassicas are needing attention. Brassicas- rape, kale, broccoli.. See these little curly leaves? They are the secondary leaves. They are telling me that they are ready for transplanting..actually, they are screaming at me! Each morning, I'm up at sunrise, taking the flats from inside (where it is not freezing) and transporting http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/04/walk-with-me-wed-greenhouse-walks.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-3086315392381499128Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:59:00 +00002009-04-12T20:10:30.377-04:00walkingholiday While most people were searching for Easter Eggs, I went hunting for a different kind. Amamniotic. You can usually find them in the vernal pools... they are the eggs of the amphibians. the ecological indicators....biphasic...creatures that spend their youth under water breathing through gills, and then emerge ...metamorphasize...and breath air through lungs. the dark ones are http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/04/egg-hunt.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-2641544705794395670Wed, 08 Apr 2009 14:06:00 +00002009-04-08T10:23:20.886-04:00spindle spinning I've decided the only way to remember how to Andean ply without checking a reference, is to practice the winding method. Also, tying the starting strand to my little pinkie finger reminds me which path to take. As the yarn comes off the cop, my middle finger and thumb start to experience a peculiar sort of claustrophobia. I resist the urge to grab scissors and free them. And I discover thathttp://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/04/tie-string-around-your-finger-so-you.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5789839.post-36243934951016479Sat, 04 Apr 2009 19:49:00 +00002009-04-04T15:55:51.946-04:00garden Over the past few weeks, there has been lots of cleaning up and raking off in the garden. The garden measures 50'x75' and it is on a slope with raised beds that are stepped. It is hard to get a good perspective for taking a photograph that shows the size. This older photo was taken from the top of the slope. I'm standing in the Asparagus bed, near the rhubarb and the currants...looking out to http://riverrim.blogspot.com/2009/04/april-showers-on-some-flowers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (cyndy)13