five years

I am writing this post after drinking far too much champagne. I have good reason though, I do. it's my anniversary! Five years today. We watched our wedding video tonight, I cried, like always (i may have seen a tear in Chuck's eye too). we are so glad to have it. We picked up cheap burritos and expensive champagne to celebrate the night, but first the day...





it was trick or treat day in town, all the downtown merchants passed out candy to children dressed in costume...

i ran out of candy after only an hour, there were a LOT of children!

i did manage to save some for my grandbabies, sigh sigh sigh, here is sadie the little bug and travis a scary monster (he graciously removed his mask for my photo request).

after work ( and all the halloween fun) Chuck and I went up to the Alpaca farm to buy some more lovely wool, i have some gifts to make...

this one couldn't stop kissing my husband, heehee.

at home Chuck was anxious for me to open my gift from him. the light wasn't good for photos, especially if all you have is candlelight (and champagne) so i'll have to write another post about the surprise, it really deserves a place of honor. he bought me a piece of art, art that a friend of mine made. i am so touched that he (and she) did this without me knowing. i can't wait to take photos of it. i have one more BIG surprise that happened tonight, but maybe i ought to find out if it's okay before i put it here. but oh my, what a day!

Happy Anniversary honey, thank you for these last five years, i can't wait for the next 5 times forever more.

♥ wifey

gone home

:(

i really tried.

this morning i was at work at first light and found the little bird flying again. happy! i hung a colorful cloth in the doorway and set a bowl of sugar water on the doorstep. and then i sat outside and waited. and waited. till i couldn't wait any longer. before i locked up i set the water on a chair near the door and taped open the mail slot. maybe he would find his way out this way i thought.

when i returned to open for the day he did seem to be gone. i looked around and hoped i was right. across the street is a garden where a pair of hummingbirds live. i saw them and felt reassured. could it be him?

i saw the wee one at the very end of the day. lying at the bottom of one of the front windows that had a flower box on the other side.

i brought him home and plan on putting him to rest in our garden.

did you ever wish to be dr. doolittle and be able to talk to the animals? i wished i could have told this little one, here's the door.

♥ lori

p.s. i'm sorry if i offended with these photos. i wanted to honor how exquisitely beautiful the anna's hummingbird is. for more information on this species here's a good place to start,

and here, (scroll down and click on anna's).

wee trouble

a hummingbird flew into my work today, but it didn't know how to fly back out. i watched him zoom around and around looking for the way, except he wasn't getting closer to the door, just the ceiling. i turned off the overhead lights hoping to lure him towards the sunshine and outside. but it didn't work.

see him? tiny little guy.

luckily my boss happened to stop in. he tried to help the little hummer out with a broom.

it didn't work.

so i called my husband. he brought a big net. and then he stood on a ladder and tried to catch him.

and that didn't work. the poor thing kept flying back and forth, back and forth, every so often resting on a narrow beam. my boss gave up and left. my husband gave up and left too. then it was time for me to leave, close up for the day. but i couldn't. not with the little hummer trapped. so i called our local wildlife care. i left a message. and waited. for an hour, i waited and the little hummer continued to fly, and i'm sure he was beginning to panic.

i didn't know what to do, so i closed up and went home, planning on googling "what to do when a hummingbird is trapped". as soon as i was home, (and reading online), wildlife care called. she told me what to do, so i ran around gathering up my hummingbird rescue supplies and raced back to work. i was so excited to finally be able to do something (set him free!), but when i walked into the now dark building, there was no more whirring and buzzing. it was silent.

:(

i looked everywhere, but he was nowhere to be found. i called wildlife care. oh no. what now?! she said he could have shut down, sort of in a hibernation. he could come alive in the morning. so i left him a bowl of sugar water near the door, hopefully he'll find it. tomorrow morning i plan to be there at first light to try again to let him out. oh please cross your fingers for him.

*
i scanned these photos that i took with my film camera. they are of a lovely female anna's hummingbird that loved our banana trees.

thank you for the kind words on my last post. it was a hard thing to write.

♥ lori

shark

I'm feeling a bit in shock and very sad this morning. A 19 year old college student was killed yesterday by a shark attack, here at one of our neighborhood beaches. I can't imagine what his parents must be feeling, I think I would wish the shark to take me too...deep condolences to the Ransom family.

If you are living here at the coast with the ocean as your front yard, there is a good chance either you or members of your family will be in or on the water frequently. But even if you are a visitor there are things we can ALL do to lessen the chances we will meet a shark too.

I found this information that I wanted to share...



Swimming and surfing in an ocean filled with sharks is possible to do safely. The important thing is to use common sense when doing so. Sharks are at the top of the food chain in the ocean and must be respected. While no advice is going to keep you 100 percent safe, here are some tips to minimize your risk of being attacked by a shark.



Before You Swim in the Ocean

1. The first step to staying safe from shark attack while swimming is to stay out of the water during the sharks feeding times. Many species of shark are known to come closer to shore during dusk, dawn, and night time hours. Do not swim or surf during these high risk time frames.


2. Make sure that the beach you are going to swim at is patrolled by lifeguards. Having a lifeguard present and looking out for everyone in case of emergency can make a huge difference.

3. If a particular beach is known for shark attacks, take a pass on swimming there. The odds of you actually being attacked by a shark are slim, but why take a chance if you know they are around?


4. Leave Fido at home. A dog swims just like a meal to a shark and will attract attention. Make sure that you leave the pets at home for your beach trip or at least keep them out of the water.




While swimming in the ocean

1. Always swim in the ocean in groups. Sharks are predators first and foremost. They will seek out prey that is isolated more quickly than those that are not.


2. Make sure that you are not bleeding at all. Any open sore, cut, or even a menstruating woman will be like a beacon to any shark in the area. It only takes a drop for them to notice you.

3. Stay away from the channels and anywhere where the water is murky. This can lead to the most common type of shark attack. Sharks generally do not target humans. Most often the shark mistakes people for their normal prey, seals. Thus, murky water can lead to a misidentification.


4. Do not wear highly contrasting clothing or shiny jewelry in the ocean. A shark sees this quite well and will be attracted to the contrast. Wear dull colors that are of one color.


5. Avoid Swimming or Surfing alone.


6. Avoid swimming at dusk, at night, and at dawn. These are times when many sharks hunt, and although humans are not their natural prey they can make a mistake and bite you.


7. Avoid areas where fish gather, like piers or docks. Many sharks feed in these types of places. Also avoid swimming where there are schools of small fish. Sharks may be swimming through the fish feeding and accidentally bite you.



8. Do not thrash around in the water. Sharks can detect the magnetic fields and electrical signals given off by living and moving things using a subcutaneous sensory network system called the ampullae of Lorenzini. This sensory ability helps them to orient to their prey. Thrashing movements mimic weak or wounded fish, which are very appealing to sharks.




My intention with this post was to share information and not to scare. I love the ocean and all it's creatures, but we truly are in their world when we step off the shore and into the sea.
I've written about another danger that's related to the shark that you will want to read here if you spend time at the ocean, to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.


♥ lori

rain, surf and new york nice

the storm took us by surprise.
thunder was so loud and the lightning so bright, it scared the puppy pants off owen.


when it finally stopped i ran outside to see what i could see. these photos are true, but no sooner had i taken them, the clouds covered the sun and i ran for cover too.


♦


news update on my nyc girl:

her bike came!! she said she push~pulled the heavy box (a weighty vintage derailer) for only a moment by herself, and was soon joined by one friendly helpful new yorker after the other. there was a business man, a young mother, a couple, a very old woman...kindly assisting her all the way to the nearest bike shop (where it was dropped off for reassembly). this is only one of the reasons why she ♥'s ny.



and the care box arrived too. she has her pocket and now she's safe and all's well...




with five kids though, it's always something. two of my son's left for central america yesterday, nicaragua. for surf. i'm hoping very much that the waves aren't too big and mostly i hope the people are like new yorkers, nice.
:)



♥ lori

pockets

(the portable (waterproof) pocket) *

i love pockets. adding them seems the best course, if you find your shirt, pants, skirt or jacket without. however, sometimes it just isn't possible. in a pinch once, i made a portable pocket (illustrated above). the photo has a good story behind it, i'll share below.

but first, i made this pocket, the green one, in the above (above) photos (which is right this moment flying across the u.s.) to my daughter. she needed one, she had her first new york emergency last weekend. here's what happened... she was going to do her laundry in the wee hours of the morning, when underestimating the length of her arm to the weight of the door , she watched as she became locked out of her apartment and building. in a nutshell, it was a longpanickyday (all because of no pocket). she was without keys, cell phone, wallet, shoes!

maybe we've all done it at one time or another, locked ourselves out of houses, cars, work (oh, wait, i like that). but i don't like the idea of my girl feeling as helpless as she did. so i'm hoping she'll always carry her new pocket with her with keys, cell phone, money in it when she heads down to the laundry. we added some quarters for an added incentive.

if any of you saw a pretty redhead riding the ny subway barefoot this weekend, that would be my girl.

agg! :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*and now the story about the portable waterproof pocket...

i like this story (i hope you will too), it has a happy ending.

Once upon a time, a few years ago (10 exactly), we took a trip to the Mentawai's, a group of islands off the coast of Indonesia. we were on a boat out in the Indian Ocean for almost 3 weeks. Since the point of the trip was surfing we went from island to deserted island surfing and not doing too much else (heaven). after a few days, the deserted islands began looking very tempting. one day we swam to one from our boat. just chuck and i and the swimsuits we had on. when we stepped on the sandy white shore it was covered with beautiful shells! agg! the collector in me wanted to bring some back, but what to do? i was only wearing a bikini. back at the boat i found my needles and wool and cast on about 20 stitches, give or take a few, knit a bit and then made a row of yarn overs for the eyelets (to draw the cord through). knitting only a few inches, 4 i think, made some decreases and then casting off, the portable pocket was born! for extra strength i made an i cord several inch's long, thread it through and cinched it tight with a shell.

as soon as we were moored near the next island i couldn't wait to try my pocket. i put it around my neck, dove off the boat and swam to the lagoon. and then filled it up. it worked! when we got back, the others on the boat watched as the pocket was opened on the table. pretty little shells spilling out.

soon, one after the other (guys) came knocking on our cabin door. "could you make me one too?"

luckily i came with enough yarn and was able to make a few more. and everyone was able to swim and collect shells. and we were happy.

the end.

:)

♥ lori

p.s. hannah, please use your new pocket.

love, mama

you and i

first it begins with rounds of emails

where shall we go? and when?

date and place are set

more communication

reply all!

the long weekend arrives

finally!

new york, florida, oregon,

california, the girls are here.

we talk and talk

and hug and laugh

we cook we eat

dance and drink

( *yes under the stars *)

we swim and take walks

reminiscing the past,

sharing the present.

we entertain

and teach

hardly getting any sleep.

there are facials, knitting lessons

skinny dipping and pomegranate picking

(pistachios too).

friendships renewed

intentions set

we made the most

of this gift and yet,

there never seems to be

enough time.

it's okay,

we know we'll meet again,

friends.

♥ lori

p.s. yes! those are my knitted "green sleeves"! i'm so happy, this week i'll be making a donation here, in the name of my mom and my sister lindy, and every sister friend. everywhere.