But of course

There are lots of birds who live outside my apartment. I hear them every day. In the morning when I walk the dog. When I leave for work. When I come home. But I rarely see them. My favorite are the cardinals.

The summer before second grade my family lived in Miami. I won't tell you how long ago, but suffice it to say it's been a long, long time. Outside the living room window were a couple of beautiful hibiscus bushes. One morning I saw a male cardinal (I know this because he was bright red) sitting on a branch. I sat on the couch looking out and talking to him. Whatever he thought, he sat there for several minutes. This happened every day for about a week.

After that we went up to Pennsylvania to visit my grandmother. It was a bit upsetting because I had become attached to that pretty red bird. But I wanted to see Babci so I didn't complain. Well Babci had a front porch on her house which sported a wonderful bench swing. One afternoon I was on the swing and a cardinal just showed up. He landed on the cherry tree and sat there for a few minutes, long enough for me to say a few words.

I was so excited and ran to tell my mother about the cardinal. She was very serious when she explained that it wasn't the same bird. Now I'm an intelligent person. Logically I know that it couldn't have been the same bird, but that didn't mean that little 7 year old didn't know in her heart that they were one in the same.

Anyway, I've taken to carrying a camera with me on the off chance I see any of the birds and get a picture. Not that it helps when my hands are full when I see them. I walked around the corner to my apartment after work this afternoon and saw a beautiful male sitting on a piece of wood dislodged by all the wind and rain we've had. I stopped, amazed, when a female flew past and sat on the privacy fence. So, of course, I was unprepared.

Lately

Since I'm not crocheting much lately I thought I'd just share a bit of what my life can be like.

I live in NE Florida and we just experienced several days of rain thanks to TS Beryl. No damage to where I live, although some of my potted plants outside were tossed around a bit and the entryway suffered a minor flood. It's tile so no damage although the adjacent carpet got wet. I'm prepared, though, with a shop vac and a carpet shampooer, as well as a spot cleaner. I have a dog, so I need to be like a boy scout!

That's enough for today.

Finally

I finally have something on my hook again. I joined a yahoo group (Crochet in Common) which is a wonderfully active group. The group does a lot of things and there is a lot of chatter, too. It helped me get beyond my crocheter's block and find my inspiration again.

A week or so ago someone suggested doing an afghan with the States as the blocks. Since the group has members from other countries it was decided to do blocks that are representative of either the state or country where you live.

Sooooo . . . I'm designing one for Florida. It is my first real attempt at designing something other than an afghan or blanket, and so far I'm pleased with how it is turning out. I'm using variegated yarn for most of it (maybe all) because I like how it pulls in the natural variations found in nature.

It's a beach scene and will have a palm tree in it. The palm tree is what I feared most but as I've crocheted the block the way to crochet the palm came to me. I wanted to capture the textured trunk and was unsure how to make sure it was somehow apparent. I think I've solved it. No details yet, but once it's completed I'll post the picture and the instructions. Till then . . .