Watched Like A Hawk

Durwood called me yesterday to say that the hawk was hiding in the bare apple tree, the only thing moving was its head.  He took pictures for us to see, both while it was hiding and after it moved.  In a couple of them the bird seems to be looking right at the camera.  I didn't see any feathers on the snow when I filled the squirrel corn this morning so its hunt must not have been successful.  Are you playing along with the Great Backyard Bird Count this weekend?  If you go to this website and register (it's free) you can plug in your zip code and print out a list of the birds in your area to help you know what you're looking for.  We print out a copy to leave on the table so Durwood can tick off the ones he sees and I try to go someplace a bit more "birdy" like Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve to count birds we don't often see in our city lot.  Plus I can sit in the shelter there and not freeze my tillie off.  I'll probably go back there to see if the Pileated Woodpecker comes again; I could look at it all day.  It looks like Woody Woodpecker in a black suit.  Too very much fun.

I had a few customers yesterday and one irate phone call about service.  Some guy thought his regulator should be serviced under warranty (must be done every 12-13 mos. to stay in effect) even though the last time he had it done was July 2012.  Um, guy, that's a bit more than a month overdue.  I was very polite but firm and he seemed mollified.  Not my favorite part of the job but in a way I kind of liked that I could gather intel (talk to the manufacturer and another dive shop owner) and get the point across to the angry guy without losing my cool or having him cuss me out or hang up on me.  Way to be a grown up!

It wasn't quite dark when I left work and, as usual, I check the sky and LOOK! at the moon.  I love the moon.  It's very pretty, all cold and shiny up in the sky.  I especially like when it peeks through bare tree branches.  See how serene it looks?  You'd never know that I took that on a busy city street across the street from a popular watering hole and a dodgy menchanic's garage.  (I say dodgy only because there's no sign and there's a bunch of guys hanging around most days, not an "official" looking fixit shop, but he probably does a good job because he's always busy.)  So, see?  Moon.

After supper I got going on February Men's Chemo Hat #2.  I tried to start it in the afternoon at work but MW stopped to visit with a magazine about fibers and distracted me.  Then I stayed up too late doing "just one more round" (because adding the next round means changing color and I like that a lot) but this morning I held what I had against the previous Feb Hat #1 and realized that even though I went down a hook size it still had the same hugeosity, so I ripped back an increase round (so much easier to do with crocheting than knitting) and I'll redo it without increases and keep going.  I love the narrow strips of red in the black.  Next one will be toast gold with a nice scrap of green for the narrow parts, I think.  Love it.  I think I'll have no trouble making 3 per month like I hoped.

February 13--China, Dish.  Lily was very careful.  She carried the plate flat in both hands keeping her eyes on it every step of the way from the kitchen to the dining room.  She walked so slowly that the candle flame barely flickered but tilted toward her on her inhale and away on her exhale.  She wasn't sure putting the cake on the Chinese plate was such a good idea but no one had asked her opinion.  No one ever did when you were not quite fifteen.

And it's snowing again.  Yesterday's snow was light and powdery and very easy to shovel.  If I'd tried to snowblow it I'd have ended up with a face full so I shoveled.  I don't know what this stuff's like but it's a lot warmer today (in the 20s) than it was yesterday.  It just better get done doing what it's going to do early because Durwood and I have reservations for a Valentine's heart-shaped ribeye steak at an old fashioned Wisconsin supper club tonight and I don't want to miss it.  Naturally tonight's also the Knitting Guild meeting so we're going to drop my car off at the guild meeting place, go to supper, and then he'll drop me off on the way back through town.  This'll work.  Got library books to pick up (three of The Borrowers books, yay!) and I want a new size H crochet hook.  The one I have is a Susan Boyle and those have wide heads; I prefer Boye which has a tapered head and is easier for me to poke into stitches.  I'm off!
--Barbara