My husband's grandfather had a saying about the peepers freezing three times before spring officially arrives ... we heard them last week, then there was a freeze and we heard them again this week. I don't know if this counts as them being frozen twice already, or only once. What I do know is that once you start hearing peepers the glowing green grass and flowering fruit trees are not too far behind.
Between now and then we will hear more and more peepers until peepers is about all we can hear, there will be so many birds singing that they will wake us in the morning and charm us during the evening hours, the geese will create an ever increasing symphony (I think of it as a symphony, though some might consider it a cacophony) of calls and honks as they feed in the fields around us and fly overhead at dusk and dawn.
The willows will transform from their lean, graceful golden winter state to a plumper green-gold of early spring as the buds of their little leaves begin popping to the surface up and down their slender whips.
This in-between time when the peepers are freezing and thawing and the world is slowly waking from a long, cold winter nap is a time of sweet anticipation of warmth and beauty we know will come.
I wanted to thank everyone who participated in the drawing my son and I held last week going into this one. When I asked people to visit the Love Letters Treasury at Etsy and from there to visit my son's store then go back and leave a comment at the Treasury I didn't know what to expect. It was so fun to read the various comments people made, coming up with creative ways to mention something they had seen in his store.
If you didn't check it out, you might enjoy reading through their comments ... somehow it seems like a walk in a park to me. I don't know why. Check it out and see how it impresses you.
Using a random number generator, I selected three winners from those who left comments. I contacted each of the winners via the "convo" feature at Etsy and have heard back from two. The winners are:
phqueenb = Grand Prize
nuttywifery = First Prize
sandyp218 = Second Prize
By the way, you should check out Flying Junction's new "Keep Calm and Carry On" vintage style print, available in 32 decorator colors. I will be hanging one of these in my dinning room shortly to remind us all to do just that ... keep calm and carry on.
And, I notified one reader who participated in last week's survey that she is a winner in another random drawing for a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate -- congratulations Linda H. She tells me she will be picking up a new knitting book from Amazon, how sweet is that.
I have another survey for the same client this week, and there will be another random drawing of all participants for a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. If you are willing to help, it is a brief survey--only four questions--so if you can take a couple of minutes to participate you can get into the random drawing. Note: To be eligible for the drawing, you must complete the survey by midnight tonight, 31 March 2011.Check it out here.
Tomorrow I will post Stage 3 directions for my Summer in the Country Cotton Blanket Knit-Along, so be sure to check back if you are participating. If you aren't in the knit along yet, check it out and look at some of the photos members of the group are posting on their blogs, Ravelry, etc. to show their progress. It is a lovely pattern, with some cool surprises as you go along.
Next week be on the look out for two recipes for Pimento Cheese, a delicious and refreshing sandwich spread. My son and I will share the down home southern style spread my mama used to make when I was a kid along with his updated urban gourmet style spread that I have yet to try. Yummy, yummy, yummy!
Hope you have a great day!
Best wishes,
~firefly and son
My son is a designer, graphic artist and photographer (Etsy seller: FlyingJunction at http://flyingjunction.etsy.com, specializing in vintage look subway signs and bus scrolls). He has worked as a professional artist and graphic designer for more than ten years. His t-shirt designs, sold both online and in exclusive boutiques, have been worn by celebrities around the globe and are frequently spotted at major sporting events, in celebrity photos, television productions, and music videos. He commutes between Los Angeles and the family farm in upstate New York, calling both places home. We collaborate on many things, including recipe development and the Knitter’s and Crocheter's Eye Chart prints and other fiber lover art prints I sell in my Etsy store.