Wordless Wednesday

Ups and Downs

During one of my recent commutes, I spied a group of pelicans and a great blue heron. I couldn't resist stopping to snap a few shots.


Speaking of beauty, our lilacs finally are beginning to blossom. I wish I could keep the intoxicating fragrance forever.

Speaking of eternity, the best thing about moving to my own domain is Blogger doesn't let anyone else use the space I set up nearly two years ago. It's reserved now forever.

Back in the olden days, when someone moved from one internet spot to another, hackers of questionable character would load the old space up with less-than desirable... um, garbage, to put it mildly... to take advantage of the popularity of the original owner's site. Thank heavens that doesn't happen now!

Speaking of migration, a small group of western tanagers spent a bit of their northward journey feasting in our backyard. Typically, these brightly colored birds like deciduous forests, and we're not near one. They apparently developed a taste for something in our suet, however, and we couldn't have been more pleased.

Unfortunately, the suet ran out one day when I was commuting by bicycle. After 60 miles, I didn't feel like driving back into town to buy more suet, and our tiny grocery store doesn't carry any. So I made my own.

I didn't have a recipe. I just used what I had. Bird seed, black sunflower seeds, oatmeal, dried fruit, chunky peanut butter. What a gooey mess!

The tanagers all but coughed and spit it out after their first taste, and we haven't seen them since. We have, however, gained a few new species that had not paid much attention to our humble abode prior to DIY suet. Crows, grackles and an occasional red-winged blackbird are enjoying my homemade suet. Red-winged blackbirds typically stay close to wetlands. The closest wetland is perhaps a mile away, so I'll enjoy the visual treat while I can get it. The crows don't have the agility of smaller birds when it comes to eating suet, so it's quite comical watching them attempt to get food. And then get chased away by tiny finches.

Next trip to the big grocery store in the city, I picked up a bunch more suet. I studied the label to figure out what it had that mine didn't.

Imagine my surprise to learn my tanagers were meatasauruses!!! Store-bought suet has beef fat. Ick!

And speaking of meat, I had to inhale a bit over the weekend. Needed a lot of protein for a lot of heavy duty climbing, including an attempt on Mount Evans the first day the road opened for what we hope will be the season. They still get snow up there. Sometimes quite a bit. As of this writing, the road still isn't open to the summit, only to Summit Lake about five miles from the true summit.

I didn't make it even that far. When I arrived in Idaho Springs, I sat in the wind-shaken car for a few minutes trying to talk myself out of turning around and going back home! The gale-force winds easily was 40 mph. I asked a cyclist who'd just finished his descent how his ride went. He didn't help my resolve much. "Not as fun as I thought it would be. Way, way too windy."

Nevertheless, I unloaded the bike and put on the front wheel. I donned two extra layers, put on my pack and helmet, locked the car, and began the slow climb into the headwind. The nasty headwind.

Every mile I traveled, I wanted to turn back. Each mile marker, I told myself I could do one more mile. I felt as if I was motionless. I felt as if I was a turtle on a flat section of road. It didn't look steep at all. But I just couldn't get over 4 mph. True snail's pace.

I finally decided to throw in the towel at the first switchback. Upon arrival, I looked down at my odometer (which really is The Lizard's, but he's letting me use it because mine was registering 18,000 feet in altitude on 10,000 Wolf Creek Pass last summer and not counting miles at all the last few weeks). The odometer read 6.66. No way was I stopping on that number! So onward and upward. I went a little beyond seven miles, until the headwind hit me again. I'd had enough.

I turned and began the descent and was up to 32 mph in no time. What had taken me nearly two hours to go up was less than 25 minutes back down. Short though it was, I guess I really was climbing after all!

Snowflake Monday

Eureka!!!

It worked! I'm in My.Own.Space! My old Blogger address redirects to this space until I tell it not to. Bookmarks will still work. If you're following, you may have to change that link, but everything else works, as far as I can tell.

I had to redo background stuff only once. The migration was surprisingly fast, given I'd been warned it could take up to 72 hours. Tech support via my hosting company was superb, and the change has been made. All existing pattern links automatically forward to my new space. This is AWESOME!

In honor and celebration of this miraculous event, I've named this week's snowflake Eureka. We have two mountains by that name in Colorado. Both are sentimental favorites of mine, one a 12,929-feet-tall mountain near 14er Handies Peak, the other a 13,489-footer in the Sangre de Cristos.

Eureka also is the name of a tiny abandoned mining town nine miles from Silverton and just a couple thousand feet below the 12er bearing the same name. Read a hair-raising tale about an overnight stay in the pre-restored mining boardinghouse in the sidebar here. The story about the restoration of the two mines is worth reading also.

The Eureka Mountain near Silverton and Handies Peak bears special memories for me because of all the time I've spent in these areas with my Lizard. Handies Peak is the second peak he climbed with me, and he'd already climbed it before he met me. He was willing to do it again, for me, because I hadn't been up it. Back then, his willingness to repeat a climb of an "easy" mountain when he had many difficult peaks on his To Do List was one of a plethora of signs I'd literally struck pure gold. Eureka!

The Eureka Mountain in the Sangre de Cristos is special simply because of where it is located. It's another area The Lizard and I have spent a great deal of time, and the north-south running Sangre de Cristos form a beautiful, rugged backdrop from either the west or the east. When the sun rises and sets, the peaks turn crimson red, hence the name, Spanish for Blood of Christ. With a name like that, how can the mountain range not be exquisite?

You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!


Finished Size: 4.25 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 7 crochet thread in two colors, size 7 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, glue, water, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line

Instructions

Ch 3, sl st into 1st ch OR make magic ring.

Round 1: With main color, 1 sc in ring, *ch 6, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook, 1 hdc in next ch , 1 sc in next ch, sl st in next ch, 2 sc in ring; repeat from * around 5 times for a total of 6 points, ending with 1 sc instead of 2 on final repeat; sl st in starting sc; bind off. Pull magic circle tight, but leave opening big enough to allow stitches inside it to lay flat.
Round 2: With contrast color, *1 hdc in dc on right side of any point (1 hdc in next st on succeeding repeats), 5 dc in ch 2 tip, 1 hdc in next dc, 1 sc in each of next 3 st, sk next st, draw up loop in each of next 2 st, yo and bring through all 3 loops on hook (dec made), sk 1 st, 1 sc in each of next 3 st; repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting hdc; bind off.
Round 3: With main color, 1 sc in 1st dc of 5/dc group on right side of any point, *1 sc in each of next 2 st, 1 hdc in same st, 3 dc in next st, 1 hdc in next st, 1 sc in same st, 1 sc in each of next 3 st, sk next st, draw up loop in each of next 3 st, yo and draw through all 4 loops on hook, sk next st, 1 sc in each of next 4 st; repeat from * around 5 times, ending with 1 sc in each of next 2 st instead of 4 on final repeat; sl st in starting sc.
Round 4: *1 sc in same st as sl st (1 sc in next st on succeeding repeats); 1 sc in next st, 1 sc in next st, 1 hdc in same st, 2 dc in next st, [1 dc in next st], ch 4; sl st in 2nd ch from hook, 1 hdc in next ch, 1 dc in next ch, 1 dc in same st as [dc], 2 dc in next st, 1 hdc in next st, 1 sc in same st, 1 sc in each of next 2 st, sk 5 st; repeat from * around 5 times; sl st in starting sc; bind off. Weave in ends.

Finish: Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap.

Mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture. Sprinkle lightly with glitter. Wash paintbrush and container thoroughly. Allow snowflake to dry at least 24 hours. Remove pins. Gently peel snowflake from wax paper or plastic wrap. Attach 10-inch clear thread to one spoke, weaving in end. Wrap fishing line around tree branch (or tape to ceiling or any overhead surface) and watch the snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.

Friday Funny

Because I make tiny bears, lizards, bunnies and dragonflies, I found this video highly entertaining. Wish my stuff could go together so quickly!

Moving on...

Tonight's the night my blog gets new digs. Hopefully the change won't be noticeable. Except I'll be in My.Own.Space.

I began this blog nearly two years ago thinking it would be a great way for my family and closest friends to keep up with what The Lizard and I were doing without me clogging everyone's email inboxes. I needed a place to post my trip reports and photos because GeoCities was being terminated.

I had no idea when I began this blog it would become what it has become. I didn't know I would be designing snowflakes for people all over the world. I didn't know I would be able to raise so much money for multiple sclerosis. I hoped my blog would soothe my journalistic yearnings, and I hoped it wouldn't be too much of a time hog.

When Blogger went down a couple of weeks ago, I realized I have quite a bit of information posted free of charge on space that doesn't belong to me. Blogger has been a very good home, and I don't regret for one minute choosing this as a temporary place to live.

I spent many years in an apartment that didn't belong to me. It was a wonderful home, right on a bike path. It provided safe haven the entire time I lived there. But it was not mine.

Parking my blog in my own space feels like setting up a real residence to house the the things I love most. My new internet space, snowcatcher.net, is mine. I own it. It's not an apartment. It's a home. It's MY home.

I'll be back Monday with a new snowflake...

Wordlesss Wednesday

Boxed and Packed

Moving week... just another head's up -- service interruptions could materialize this week as my blog moves from Blogger to self-hosted space. Am I beginning sound like a worried mama who's child is graduating to the next stage of life?

That's kind of how it feels!

One of the things I did to combat nervousness over the weekend was ride. I'm hoping to clear 1,000 miles before the end of May!

Another distraction came in the form of transforming white thread into different colors.


My grandmother tea-stained many of her doilies way back when I was still single digits. I've wanted to try it myself for many years, and I finally played around with some herbal teas over the weekend. I steeped thread for seconds, minutes and half an hour and ended up with three gorgeous shades of chai!


I was so pleased with the results, I decided it was time to try dying thread in living colors. Three tiny bottles of food coloring and half an hour later, I'd completed several shades from the rainbow. Plus a ball of rainbow.


Then I went totally wild and used some cranberry juice to color one more batch.


This was so much fun! I can't wait to try again, but mostly, I can't wait until this batch dries so I can whip it up into something awesome.

Snowflake Monday

This coming weekend, I'm moving my blog to self-hosted space. Hopefully, if I've coded everything properly, the transition will be smooth, and no one will notice the difference.

However, it is entirely possible the migration could take up to 72 hours, and I think that means visitors could be treated to "Error 404 Not Found" or "This page does not exist." It is possible we may experience burps and regurgitation along the way. It is possible I may have entered something improperly, and it's possible I may have misunderstood directions or someone may have misdirected me.

If something does go wrong, please know we are working tirelessly and diligently to correct the problem. I'm not going anywhere; I'm just putting on my big girl pants. I don't intend to give up my blog, stop photographing and writing, permanently park my bicycle or quit designing snowflake patterns.

I have a snowflake ready for next Monday, which is a holiday here in the U.S. But I've never migrated a blog before, so I don't know what will happen when my first post to the new home gets published. So, fingers crossed, prayers said, all systems go. I'll do everything I can to be up and running as normal on May 30.

In honor of this frightening first baby step, I've named this snowflake Transitions. It symbolizes all the background work and preparation going into what I hope will be a smooth process and just another day in paradise...

You may do whatever you'd like with snowflakes you make from this pattern, but you may not sell or republish the pattern. Thanks, and enjoy!


Finished Size: 6.5 inches from point to point
Materials: Size 10 crochet thread, size 7 crochet hook, empty pizza box, wax paper or plastic wrap, cellophane tape, glue, water, glitter, small container for glue/water mixture, paintbrush, stick pins that won't be used later for sewing, clear thread or fishing line

Instructions

Ch 6, sl st into 1st ch OR make magic ring.

Round 1: 12 sc in ring; sl st in starting sc. Do not pull magic ring too tight.
Round 2: 1 sc in same sc as sl st, *ch 10, sk 1 sc, 1 sc in next sc; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 5, 1 trtr in starting sc (ch 5 and trtr counts as final ch 10).
Round 3: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 3 dc over trtr post, *ch 8, 4 dc in next ch 10 sp; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 4, 1 dtr in2nd ch of starting ch 2.
Round 4: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc over dtr post, *ch 6, 2 dc in middle of next 4/dc group, ch 6, 2 dc in next ch 8 sp, ch 3, 2 dc in same sp; repeat from * around 4 times; ch 6, 2 dc in middle of next 4/dc group, ch 6, 2 dc in same sp as starting dc, ch 1, 1 dc in 2nd ch of starting ch 2.
Round 5: Ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 2 dc over post of last dc of Round 4, *1 dc in each of next 2 st, 2 hdc in next ch 6 sp, 2 sc in same sp, ch 14, 1 sc in 7th ch from hook, 1 sc in next ch, 1 hdc in each of next 2 ch, 1 dc in each of next 2 ch, ch 2, 2 sc in next ch 6 sp, 2 hdc in same sp, 1 dc in each of next 2 st, 3 dc in next ch 3 sp, ch 3, [yo and draw up loop in 3rd ch from hook, yo and draw through 2 loops on hook] 3 times, yo and draw through all 4 loops on hook (3 dc cluster made), ch 3, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 3, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 3, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 1, sl st in top of 3 dc cluster, ch 3, 3 dc cluster in 3rd ch from hook, 3 dc in same ch 3 sp; repeat from * around 5 times ending with last 3dc cluster on final repeat; sl st in 2nd ch of starting ch 2; bind off. Weave in ends.

Finish: Tape wax paper or plastic wrap to top of empty pizza box. Pin snowflake to box on top of wax paper or plastic wrap.

Mix a few drops of water with a teaspoon of glue in small washable container. Paint snowflake with glue mixture. Sprinkle lightly with glitter. Wash paintbrush and container thoroughly. Allow snowflake to dry at least 24 hours. Remove pins. Gently peel snowflake from wax paper or plastic wrap. Attach 10-inch clear thread to one spoke, weaving in end. Wrap fishing line around tree branch (or tape to ceiling or any overhead surface) and watch the snowflake twirl freely whenever you walk by! Snowflake also may be taped to window or tied to doorknob or cabinet handle.

Friday Funny Double Dose

People often ask where I find these things. I work in a fairly high-stress job, and this type of thing circulates rather regularly. So most of the videos I post here were sent to me by family, friends and co-workers who know I might be in need a good laugh. And they often are right.

But not all humor comes from video. Please take the time to check out this awesome post, which is still making me chuckle two days later. As well as dream about covering a thrift shop bicycle...

Bison Peak

yet another trip report from the archives...

4 February 2006

We got up in time to watch the sunrise from the road today. I got a lovely sunrise photo in Santa Maria, which I thought was a great name.

We hit the trail to Bison Peak shortly after arriving at the trailhead. It was really cold when we first started out, but as the sun worked its way over the clouds, it got warm enough for us both to take our coats off.

We had opted for the Lost Creek Wilderness because it’s closer to home, it tends to be more snow-free this time of year, and I wouldn’t have to do anything hard. There is elevation gain, but nothing like climbing some of the 14ers.

The Lizard has wanted to climb peaks in the Lost Creek Wilderness for forever. He lived too far away for a reasonable day trip before we got married, and now he lives close and is married to a wimp who can’t do anything but say, “I can’t.”

I had a bad day. My back was sore. The Lizard ended up having to carry my pack.

I had two good days in December, and I had four bad days in January. Now it’s February 4, and I’ve had three bad days already this month.

I took some pain reliever, which I don’t do often and don’t like to do. I could barely walk, but I did just fine about 15 to 20 minutes after popping pills.

I do not want to rely on medicine to feel good, but there was a noticeable difference.

When I got home, I soaked, and it felt relaxing, but it didn’t take the edge off the pain.

The Lizard just massaged me with the penetrating stuff, and that helps a little but doesn’t take the edge off. Now I’m sitting on the heating pad as I type, and it’s the first relief I’ve felt since the medicine wore off.

We didn’t make it up Bison Peak, unfortunately, because of me, but I did do nearly eight miles, which I think is the most I’ve done since The Lizard proposed. Too bad I spent most of that eight miles being miserable.

I knew when I got up this morning it would be a bad day. Before I took the medication, I was crying and telling The Lizard sometimes I wish I could wake up in the morning and the pain would be gone.

And yet, I really don’t have the right to complain. I can still do so much. Yet I feel like a part of my life has been stolen, and I want it back. I fear it’s never going to get better.

I need to focus on my spirituality. I need to be spiritually high between now and the rest of my life.

There, that did it. Now I’m smiling!

Wordless Wednesday