Great Lakes Fibers

Calling all fiber enthusiasts.  My sister in law has opened a new shop in Huron, Ohio not too far from Cedar Point.  We really enjoyed our visit to Great Lakes Fibers yesterday. Lots of lovely yarn, rovings, and beautiful garments available. Even got a dozen fresh eggs and a "chicken tour" from a very cute little boy (my nephew). Saw the alpacas and their herding dog Draille. Great place for an afternoon outing with the family or the individual fiber enthusiast who would like to learn more! They are located at 3614 Hull Road in Huron, OH . Like them on Facebook or shop their website.

 James and his hen.

 The dyeing area

 Cute decorative dolls from Peru

 Felted items

 This alpaca wants to be a part of the action aka getting his head patted.

 Yarns and garments for sale

 Colored locks

 The proprietress and her cocker spaniel

 Relax and look at some of the cool books on hand

 

 Triangle loom

 More yarn

Draille, the Pyrenean Shepherd

A Good Burn

I'm pretty sure that my hard-working hubby; much as he loves his job, is ready for the Thanksgiving break...over the past couple of weeks resource management has been burning off the prairies-hundreds of acres-a process which helps renew these areas.

Climbing Fern

Climbing Fern or Hartford Fern (Lygodium palmatum) is a rare plant in Ohio. According to the Connecticut Botanical Society"  The climbing fern doesn't look much like a fern. Like many vines, it climbs by twining around other plants. The fronds are very long -- up to 15 feet -- and only around five inches wide. Pairs of hand-shaped subleaflets make up the sterile leaflets. The more finely divided fertile leaflets are at the top of the frond. The fronds were once gathered for Christmas decorations..."

• Family: Lygodiaceae
• Habitat: moist, open woods or thickets (acidic soil)
• Height: vine-like, to 8 feet
• Location of spores: at top of stalk
• Stipe (leaf stalk): fragile, vine-like
• Growth pattern: random
• Persistence: evergreen

We were lucky to have the opportunity to observe a sample of this rare plant that was picked by its finder (not me) for identification purposes.  Apparently it was growing successfully in the area of Hocking Country where it was found.  This is where a camera can be quite handy in that you can take a voucher photo of a specimen so as to leave it unharmed. 

It All Started with a Rare Plant Sighting

Hubby's co-worker found a rare plant in the Hocking Hills area. We went Saturday for a hike and look see.  Darn he didn't get specific enough directions so the elusive plant is still undocumented.  However we had a great time anyway as it was a sunny day with mild temperatures and we hiked and photographed to our heart's content.  Amazing how fast a day goes when you are doing something you really enjoy.

walking stick

Red-tailed Hawk

My co-worker came in our office this morning and asked me if I had seen the bird outside. What bird I ask.  She takes me downstairs and points out the window to where she had seen said bird. Gone.  I opened the door and stepped out and saw a squirrel laying dead on the grass. Was the bird about this high I ask her gesturing with my hands to about 20 inches tall. Yes she says.  It must have been a hawk I tell her as I scan the trees in front of us to see if it is perched up high.  There it is I say pointing to a branch above us.  If we are quiet, I tell her, it might come back for the squirrel.  Of course it was 9 am and classes were changing and there were a bunch of students walking down the sidewalk and making what seem liked an inordinate amount of noise.  After the crowds dwindled down and the noises subsided the hawk, as predicted,  came back and continued dining on the squirrel.  I watched from the window for a couple minutes and then quietly opened the door and stepped out.  At that point I was 10 feet from it. The hawk did not seem bothered by my presence as it tore off strips of squirrel flesh and fed itself so I took a couple photos and watched it for a few minutes during which time several students, who have probably never seen a hawk before, shouted out and commented on what they referred to as one "big bird".  I went back into the building and then went out the fire escape door on the opposite side of where the hawk was sitting and continued to watch it for a few more minutes until it flew off with the squirrel in its talons.  Around noon time I went out again to run some errands and was walking down the sidewalk toward my car when I passed the base of a large tree and noticed that the hawk had returned to a different area the lawn and was dining on the squirrel again. I spoke to it and it regarded me cautiously and must have decided that I wasn't a threat as it continued to eat. This time I was much closer.  I got my camera out of my purse, turned it on and took a few more photos.  While I was standing there the noon tornado siren went off, and a bus with squeaky jake brakes pulled to the curb and the entire Ohio Northern University's women's soccer team, who was there to play our team in a tournament, exited and came by and took photos of the hawk on their cell phones.  I could not believe that the hawk stayed put.  I was pleasantly surprised that the students were all quiet and respectful of the hawk. I figure he/she came in on the remnants of hurricane Sandy and was so tired and hungry that it didn't care about the humans or it had been recently injured, rehabbed and released into the wild so it was accustomed to people.  I've never seen a hawk behave in this manner before.  Either way it was a real treat to be able observe and photograph it and it made my day.  Later I saw that one of our students had posted on Facebook that he had actually seen the owl take down the squirrel. He called it epic!  I concur.  In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous-Artistotle.

Northern Saw Whet Owl

We had a bit of excitement at work last Friday afternoon with the arrival of a Northern Saw Whet Owl. A bit south of its typical northern range, this owl, who appeared weary from the wind resulting from approaching hurricane Sandy, stopped to rest in a maple tree outside of a co-workers office. The photo below was taken through the glass.  The weekend weather was positively awful and a spot check on Sunday indicated that the owl had moved on.

Harvest Party in the Woods

We went to a party last Saturday night. Our friend has 96 acres just northwest of Marysville. In the 70's his dad along with help from his 5 children (our age) created a nature preserve, trail system and tree farm. It is a private preserve although there are some official state designations regarding its status as a preserve. The weather was perfect and the food was delicious.  We spent some time hiking and taking some photos prior to the cookout.  It was peak color day for fall.