How to Cast Off

Okay, I can figure out how to cast on, and I remember knitting and purling, but casting off doesn't stick in my mind after a year or so has gone by. So here is a helpful link:

http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/casting-off

It has several varieties of casting off, some of which look very useful even though I will never actually use them.

The basic technique: "Slip or knit the first stitch. *Knit the next stitch. Pass the first stitch over the second. Repeat from *. "

There.

One More - Double Iris

Walking Iris

Click on it for a larger view.

Late Spring/Early Summer

The surface of the river is dusty
with pollen.

The current flows both ways.

In sun and shadow,
fish go about their business--

above them, the dragonflies glide.

Thunderstorms

We have been having thunderstorms every day for almost a week. One of my cats is terrified of thunder -- he goes creeping around the house to hide under the bed, or the couch, or wherever he feels safe, and doesn't come out until the storm is long over. The other cat seems oblivious.

Heron

As I approached the lake, I heard a splash and looked up to see a large bird flying away. I was quite disappointed, until I realized that a second bird was still there. It didn't move for a long time. I took several pictures, wandered around the lake, came back and took more. (Most of them didn't come out too well.)

At last I was ready to leave, but I decided to try for one more shot. Just as I thought this, the heron spread its wings and flew away. I thought I had finally scared it off. but then I saw its mate rising up from another part of the lake.

They met in midair, circled and flew off together. I lifted my camera, but I was too astounded to think about framing a shot. Also, I know that it's hard to capture moving objects with digital camera. So, unfortunately, this photo is only a pale reminder of the most exciting thing I saw at the lake.

They have a huge wingspan, as you might expect, and when they fly a pattern of black and white splotches is revealed on their back and wings.

Sightings

One goldfinch ("That's not a yellow butterfly, it's a bird!")

One red-winged blackbird (not near my house--on a family visit)

What is it about the red-winged blackbird that tugs at my heart? There are plenty of medium-sized black birds around. But the sight of that red and yellow epaulet . . . tells me I'm in the country. Grackles and starlings seem common and ordinary. The red-winged blackbird is a wild bird.

Update (August 21): I have seen the goldfinch twice more since then, once in the same location and just today, in another spot about half a mile away from the original sighting. I assume it is the same bird. They must have their own territory. The second time, I also saw him with a plain brown bird which I assume to have been his mate.

City Bus Windows

City buses come in three configurations:

• The air conditioning works
• The AC doesn't work, but you can open the windows
• The AC doesn't work and none of the windows open

Recently I observed an official personage going through the bus and unscrewing all the window handles so that they would open. It never occurred to me that they might have been locked shut on purpose. But in fact it would be highly unlikely for all of the windows on a bus to be broken at the same time.

PS: the white clover that I described in my last post is all growing back now. It is indomitable.

I Do Not Approve of Lawnmowers

Across the street from my house is a river, and a sort of elongated park runs along the river on both sides. Lately the lawn was absolutely white with masses of white clover, along with some purple clover and some "white" clover that had turned pink. It was very pretty and it smelled good.

But bit by bit, it all got mowed. They missed a couple patches of white clover, and even one stalk of purple clover, but not much. Stupid lawnmowers. The grass wasn't even that tall.

However, I will say that this year there are several clumps of yellow iris growing on the river bank. I don't recall seeing them before -- perhaps they are newly planted. Or perhaps this rainy spring was good for them.

Summer in New England

Summer in New England means that I carry around my umbrella and my sunglasses. And I have had occasion to use both of them within the space of ten minutes.

Change of Season

the summer sky descends
it rests for a while inside the morning glories
and then moves on