My Merino Mantra

Eye Candy Friday - 5/30/08

Eye Candy Friday 5/23/08

 

 

Eye Candy Friday - 5/16/08

Wife #2 Has No Sense

I probably should not be so hard on her, but I can’t help myself. I miss Wife #1.

You see, for the last 9 years, we have had a duck build a nest every spring at our house. The first wife was an experienced mother, and wisely built her nest under the dryer vent safely behind the clematis trellis. It was completely hidden to all but those who knew where to look. Each year, she would take the ducklings down to the pond in the back yard, where they would get their sea legs. Then, we would watch her take them to the creek, where they prepared for their journey to the lake.

Last year, Papa Duck brought a new wife to us. I knew it was Wife #2, because she looked different, and was smaller. He tried to tell her where to put the nest. We saw him strutting up and down the sidewalk, just steps away from where his previous families were born. But no, Wife #2 had her own ideas about keeping house, and placed her nest in the back, under the open stars, but against the house. Amazingly, and to her credit, we had 14 ducklings hatch, all of which safely waddled away to the pond.

Above:  Two years ago, Wife #1's Brood

This year, she built her nest in the same place in the back, wide open to the elements, not to mention the critters from the woods. About 1-1/2 weeks before hatching time, a predator got into the nest. It appears that she put up a good fight, as evidenced by the few feathers she left, but she did not return. I was sick, and cried about it, buy my husband said that was Nature, and told me to get over it. The next thing I knew, there were 7 duck eggs in my laundry room with a lamp over them. He’s a softie, too. I knew it wasn’t like him to leave them there. They were so close to hatching.

          Right:  Wife #2's Family, Last Year

I called Benne, THE best authority I know on ducks, who held my hand throughout this ordeal. I made sure the eggs were at the right temperature, spritzed them with water daily, gently turned them, weighed them daily to check on their progress, and said prayers over them. I had become discouraged and was about to tell my husband to dispose of them, I can’t take it anymore, as their retrieval was probably fruitless. But on the other hand, I still had a feeling that we shouldn’t do that. When I held the eggs, I felt life inside. Finally, two days ago, three eggs began to hatch. We could see tiny little pip marks on the shells.   The most phenomenal thing to me was that they would chirp from within.  The eggs would move.  I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but Benne had already told me what to expect.  One duckling didn’t make it out of the egg and two others were born, with our help with the shells. The rest of the eggs were not viable. The littlest duckling died a few hours after birth, but the big guy made it. He is two days old now, and like I was telling Benne, with my being a nurse and mother, it thrills me to see him eating, drinking, pooping, chirping, and snuggling with the Beanie Baby I put in the box with him. I bought a water dispenser and a nice little ceramic dish for food. I finally got to use my expensive digital thermometer, which is useless for food, but worked perfectly in keeping tabs on the air temperature in the box for the baby. My husband, the softie, bought a huge 50# bag of unmedicated chicken mash. If anybody needs any of this, please let me know, as I only used about 4 ounces of it.

This evening, we took him to a local nature center, where he was greeted with nine other one-day old ducklings. The nature center has about thirty ducks there right now, of all ages. They raise abandoned or found ducklings for a couple of months, and then release them to local ponds with other ducks where they are monitored for progress. Little Chippee, as my youngest dubbed him, has his own number which we can reference when we call the nature center back to check on him. He is doing great, although we were told he was small. He won’t be small for long, the way he eats and drinks.

Last night was the first night in three days I got uninterrupted sleep. I had to keep checking on the baby duck to be sure he was warm and alive. I know it’s only one little duck, but I couldn’t help myself. I have saved orphaned baby ducks before, after they were born, and even helped to hatch some when I was little, but this was a whole new ball game.

Thanks, Benne! I could not have done this without your guidance and gentle words, which is more than I can say for some of the people I spoke to about rescuing him. I got bad vibes from a couple of the places I had called trying to find a home. I don’t need to be scolded for breaking the law by taking mallard eggs into my house. Hey, don’t lip off to me! I’m an adult, not a wayward child. I saved this duck, who would have died if I left the eggs alone. Please. And I’ll do it again, too, if I have to, but Wife #2 better get her act together and build that nest somewhere else next time.

Eye Candy Friday - 5/9/08

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Purple Haul

I just participated in a purple swap.  My haul?  Two hanks of Malabrigo yarn in a luscious medium purple color, along with other goodies.  I think I might make a neck warmer out of it. 

I finished my ZigBag Z by ColorJoy.   I just need to line it, buy handles, and do some fine finishing. 

I am disappointed in what used to be one of my favorite places to buy fine fabric, Haberman's in Royal Oak, Michigan.  I went there specifically looking for a jazzy liner fabric which will do justice to the ZigBag Z.  Nothing.  They had nothing.  I walked away with a solid purple color, but once I got it home I knew I wouldn't use it for the bag.  This bag deserves a bright, satin print.  Haberman's has plenty of fabric for weddings and proms, and lots of home dec fabric, but their apparel section seems to have suffered.  I may go back to shop for buttons, though, as that section seems to have increased in size. 

While in that neck of the woods, I stopped in Ewe-Nique Knits, also in Royal Oak.  The store is separated into two sections, each across from the other with their own entrances.  It's a small store, located in downtown Royal Oak in an old church building on the lower level.  Their selection is minimal, but the staff was quite friendly.  They carry some colors of Noro Kuryeon I had never seen before.  I especially appreciated the many swatches in various yarns they had hanging here and there.  I think every yarn shop should do this.  One side of the store has spinning wheels.  It's decorated nicely, and it's quite cozy, but their selection isn't worth the drive out for me.  I was optimistic, and overpaid the parking meter $1.50, but I only spent 15 minutes there. 

Speaking of purple, I started a new cardigan in a lovely medium purple yarn, Cashsilk, my new love.  I am really into this pattern, called Spring Forward by Janet Szabo.  I just wish I had more time to knit.  It's more intricate than the Must Have Cardigan I have laying around somewhere, but I am having an easier time of it.  I am mad at my Must Have Cardigan.  I went through a lot of trouble mirroring cables, making the ribbing match the cables, changing the pattern, and generally spending way more time on it than I would have liked.  When I miscrossed a cable and became discouraged, I put it down, and haven't picked it up since.  I can't fix a cable by unraveling and knitting back up.  It looks gross. 

That was over three years ago.  Remember what happened to the last cardigan  I threw down two years ago?   Yes.  It involved scissors.

The Press, Wrong?

By now, I am sure most of us have heard about the abomination in Texas with the FLDS sect, and the children who were taken away into foster care.  It's a pitiful, heart wrenching scene, to imagine any child being yanked from a loving mother's arms, but it is even more pitiful when there is suspected abuse going on in the loving household.  Just what the heck was happening there? 

I was reading Norma's blog, and found some slovenly journalism.  No, not in her blog, (tee-hee!), but in a reference to an article on cnn.com .  It had to do with the FLDS fiasco, and mentioned foster children in a negative manner.  The author of this article portrayed the FLDS children as sheltered and innocent, which may or may not be true, but went on to note that, "In contrast, many other children in foster care have a certain worldly swagger, and are there because they have used drugs or committed other crimes".  "Many" foster care children may be just as described, but when left in that context, especially when prefaced with the innocent FLDS children as described in the article, it is an insult to foster children in general.  Using the descriptive, "many" does not negate the author's intended picture for us, in my opinion.  "Many" is not "all", and while the story might not have been written with bad intentions,  I still believe the author certainly came across with little understanding of foster children. I think the author was more interested in a flowery pen than a factual story.

See the Orphan Foundation of America's blog, and the article, When the Press Gets it Wrong.  If you are so moved, scratch off a quick e-mail to CNN and Associated Press (AP), voicing your displeasure of the above comment, which some people could construe as a blanket statement about children in foster care.  I'm not being overly sensitive; I hate that, when people overreact to a comment.  The entire FLDS gives me the creeps, and if there was abuse going on, I am glad people are writing about it.  But pegging foster children as swaggering does not help the foster children who don't swagger.  Nor does it help the funding for organizations like The Orphan Foundation of America.  Thanks for nothing, CNN.

Eye Candy Friday 5/2/08

Happiness is a Michigan Baseball Game

Aaah, Tuesday night at the spanking new Wilpon Baseball and Softball Complex in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  The University of Michigan versus the Western Michigan Broncos.  7-4 win!  I'm always happy whenever Kalamazoo gets beaten, just because my sister lives there, and it is the alma mater for both she and her husband.   Yuck.  Sometimes we call her immediately to let her know of the pitiful loss.  Sometimes we play dumb, and just innocently ask her husband if he knows the score, whereupon he usually swears before hanging up.

GO BLUE!

I'm equally as happy when Michigan State gets whipped.  YEAH!

And now, we will have the opportunity to annihilate  those wretched BUCKEYES on Friday, the day of the official inauguration of the new stadium.  OH YEAH!




   <-------Hat Heads

  Here's Tarzan, practicing his swing below.  He has all the mannerisms of a ballplayer, but he has stopped the spitting part, thankfully.















Notice the huge cranes in the top photo?  That's for renovation for the football stadium.  Wow, big stuff.  Every time I drive by it, I am in disbelief.  Of course they can afford it, with the football prices they charge.  Can somebody please buy the Pfizer facilities, and offer more jobs to this area?  Thank you.








Did I mention how fantastic these guys play?  I am so impressed.  Somebody call a recruiter!  I have to admit, I love Tiger baseball, but there is no way driving all the way to Detroit is worth it monetarily for my family and I, both in gas money, and for stadium fees.  They charge too much money for a game at "Comerica Park" (I still hate that name) for me to watch the lousy baseball the Tigers have been playing.  Then, I have to hassle with parking, fight the traffic for the other venues in the area, and drive through crappy neighborhoods.  No, thanks.   I can view it better on TV anyway.  Let's see:  $150 for my family?  I'll take Ann Arbor baseball any day.