Just Being Here

Somehow without having work and chores and all the usual stuff to do, the days seem to go by more quickly here. I'm trying to focus on the present and the moment as much as possible because I know that we'll be heading home before I know it. The weather hasn't been great, but that's not what really matters: We're here with family, we're taking a break from the usual grind, and we're recharging our proverbial batteries. I'm focused on making the most of all of that.

Yesterday morning we went to the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, where we spent a couple of hours walking the 2.25-mile boardwalk and seeing what wildlife we could spot. I think we probably see more birds near the house (there are many more places for them to hide in the sanctuary), but we did see (and hear!) several hawks, though I didn't get any photos because they were too far away. We spotted an egret:

We saw a couple of anhingas (on the branch in this photo):

What's harder to see in this photo (click to make it larger) is there's an alligator below the bird! There was a sanctuary volunteer at the lookout point where we saw this who let us use his binoculars, which were powerful enough to be able to see the gator's teeth! Very freaky! The arrow I've crudely drawn in points to it -- it's that dark stripe.

Mo and I agreed, though, that our favorite animal in the sanctuary was this one:

This was one of the three babies with a mama raccoon who we saw scampering around. These were nothing like the fat urban raccoons you might be used to -- they were pretty small and could swim! I discovered that I apparently "speak" a little raccoon: I made a rolling R sound and this one looked right at me!

The knitting is continuing at a slow and steady pace. I've now got four inches of body on my sweater done, and I've joined the third skein of yarn. I'm also getting better at working the (k1 below, p1) rounds without having to constantly look at my work, which makes it easier to read while I'm knitting.

I've been working on this a ton and thinking that maybe I could get the body done before we go home, but this stitch pattern has such a dense row gauge that I'd say that's unlikely, especially if I want to do things other than knit. But I will make good progress on it, and now that I've picked it up again, I am highly motivated to finis, so it will be completed early in 2024.

Mo has started the raglan increases on her sweater and has required my assistance with only a few little hiccups. She seems motivated as well, and I'm hoping she can at least get through the yoke while we're on vacation because once we're home and school resumes, her focus on it is likely to wane. If she can at least get to the body, the knitting itself will be straightforward and easier to pick up.

I don't know whether or not I'll post on Monday; it's just a regular day for me, but I know that many of you will be offline celebrating the holiday with your loved ones. If you are celebrating, I wish you a very merry Christmas full of joy, good food, laughter, and contentment! At the very least, I'll be around next week for my last One Little Word check-in of 2023 and some end-of-year wrap-ups. Happy weekend!