Monday, February 07, 2011

Not much

Been a quiet start to the year. Running a bit, knitting a bit, skiing a bit. Went up north to visit some friends and their new baby.

Enzo - 1 week old

He is still too small for the sweater I made for him (Baby Surprise #2) but is obviously cared for by plenty of knitters as there was an abundance of hand knits in evidence. Lucky guy!!

Winter soccer season has started. I am on two teams (women's and co-ed) and usually end up playing at least one or two extra games a night. Each game is 45 minutes long and, depending on the subbing situation, this can mean anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 hours of playing time. It is a fun league this year with a nice mix of highly skilled to novice players. Indoor soccer is a fast game and teaches a softer touch on the ball and some better footwork and overall ball handling skills. It has also contributed to my being a faster and more agile runner and is a more palatable form of speedwork.

The light is noticeably growing. It is so pleasant to leave work at 5:30 pm and enjoy the last bits of daylight. Such a change from a month ago! The longer days seem to be triggering the chickadees to sing their mating song "fee-bee". We have quite a flock that hang around the neighborhood and visit the feeder at regular intervals. For such little birds they can make a lot of noise. I wish I was better at telling the individuals apart as there is an obvious hierarchy at the feeder. Some chickadees will share, and at other times when a certain bird arrives the rest scatter. That said, when the little nuthatches arrive everyone scatters. They are definitely the 'top bird' at the Wildknits' feeder.

For any of my readers who are interested in trail running:
Time to renew your UMTR membership. See the website for what the group is about and the benefits of membership. For the competitive, there are a number of race series to choose from with distances from 5k on up (not all trail runners are ultrarunners).

Another great source of running information (both trail and road) is Northland Runner. Their range is southern Ontario to northeastern Minnesota and east to the Western UP.

4 comments:

Susan Tomlinson said...

OK, when I first read, "winter soccer" I had this image of you playing soccer in the snow. And I thought, those Minnestans ARE crazy! ;^D

wildknits said...

Susan, it is not that far-fetched, but that would be the Fall league, which is played outdoors and where it has snowed during a game.

Winter season = indoor soccer. Balls and players careening off of walls. Good times!

Jean said...

I heard the chickadees doing their "fee-bee" song as well. It is great to hear that!

The nuthatches are assertive little birds. I know what you are saying about them being the top bird at the feeder! :) Fun stuff.

wildknits said...

Today two red-breasted nuthatches showed up and went to town on the deer suet we have had hanging all winter. They were so busy with that they didn't seem to mind sharing the feeder with the chickadees.

Bald eagle sighting on todays run... so sweet.